A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Social Support and Well-Being

社會支持與安適的相關性之統合分析

王秀紅(Hsiu-Hung Wang)

《The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences》 14卷11期 (1998/11) Pp. 717-726

https://doi.org/10.6452/KJMS.199811.0717

摘要

This study focuses upon the relationship between social support and well-being and the effect size of social support on well-being. Meta-analysis was used to synthesize the primary research studies and a computer search was used in the preliminary examination of the literature. After this preliminary screening and narrowing of the search, approximately 150 research articles published after 1985 were reviewed. Totally, 21 primary studies met the inclusion criteria of this meta-analysis.
This study indicated that 41 outcome variables were used in the 21 primary studies. Of these, seven outcome variables were categorized and named. Among these seven outcome variables, social support was significantly correlated with positive mood state, negative mood state, depression, level of functioning, and quality of life. Social support was not found to have a significant correlation at the .05 level of significance with perceived health status and physical symptoms. These findings have three implications: the facilitate external validity and generalization of research findings of the primary studies; they provide information on the magnitude of sample size for achieving statistical significance between social support and an outcome variable for future studies; and they provide information about social support intervention and enhancing the effect of social support on well-being.

並列摘要

This study focuses upon the relationship between social support and well-being and the effect size of social support on well-being. Meta-analysis was used to synthesize the primary research studies and a computer search was used in the preliminary examination of the literature. After this preliminary screening and narrowing of the search, approximately 150 research articles published after 1985 were reviewed. Totally, 21 primary studies met the inclusion criteria of this meta-analysis.
This study indicated that 41 outcome variables were used in the 21 primary studies. Of these, seven outcome variables were categorized and named. Among these seven outcome variables, social support was significantly correlated with positive mood state, negative mood state, depression, level of functioning, and quality of life. Social support was not found to have a significant correlation at the .05 level of significance with perceived health status and physical symptoms. These findings have three implications: the facilitate external validity and generalization of research findings of the primary studies; they provide information on the magnitude of sample size for achieving statistical significance between social support and an outcome variable for future studies; and they provide information about social support intervention and enhancing the effect of social support on well-being.

並列關鍵字

meta-analysis ； social support ； well-being