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Provider and recipient factors that may moderate the effectiveness of received support: examining the effects of relationship quality and expectations for support on behavioral and cardiovascular reactions

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Abstract

Social relationships have been shown to predict decreased risk for morbidity and mortality. However, the more precise processes underlying these associations are in need of exploration. In this study, we examined important provider (relationship quality) and recipient-related (support expectations) factors that might influence the effectiveness of receiving support on cardiovascular reactivity (CVR). Participants discussed a stressful event with either a supportive or ambivalent friend, and were either given instructions that included an explicit expectation of support provision or no expectation during the task. Behavioral coding revealed fewer emotionally supportive behaviors and marginally more negative behaviors from ambivalent friends. Receiving support from an ambivalent friend was also associated with higher systolic blood pressure reactivity compared to a supportive friend, but had no effects on diastolic blood pressure or heart rate; nor were there any significant statistical interactions with the expectation manipulation. Overall, support expectations had little influence on cardiovascular and behavioral responses. Implications for the study of received support and health are discussed along with potential mechanisms responsible for such links.

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Notes

  1. There were 16 participants originally classified as supportive that increased in negativity at time 2 such that they no longer met initial classification criteria. Similarly, there were 15 participants originally classified as ambivalent that decreased in negativity such that they no longer met initial criteria at time 2. Subsequent analyses were performed dropping these participants and all major findings remained consistent. Analysis reported in this paper used the original SRI classification (i.e., random assignment).

  2. Results were comparable when we ran the same analyses using gender and baseline cardiovascular measures as covariates.

  3. We did not have any a priori predictions regarding expectation main effects on the behavioral coding. Nevertheless, it should be noted that exploratory analyses did not reveal any such influences on the behavioral categories.

  4. Preliminary analyses examining the participant’s behavior in terms of positive, negative, and off-task behaviors did not reveal any differences as a function of the support expectation manipulation. However, the general nature of these codings do not provide a strong test of behavioral confirmation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112-5880, USA

    Maija Reblin

  2. Health Psychology Program, University of Utah, 380 South 1530 East, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Bert N. Uchino & Timothy W. Smith

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  1. Maija Reblin
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  2. Bert N. Uchino
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  3. Timothy W. Smith
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Correspondence to Maija Reblin.

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Reblin, M., Uchino, B.N. & Smith, T.W. Provider and recipient factors that may moderate the effectiveness of received support: examining the effects of relationship quality and expectations for support on behavioral and cardiovascular reactions. J Behav Med 33, 423–431 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-010-9270-z

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