In plain words
Social support is the help, company, and understanding a person gets from other people. It can be practical, such as meals or errands. It can be emotional, such as someone listening without judgment. It can also be informational, such as advice from someone who has been through it. Researchers have studied it for decades because it is one of the most consistently replicated protective factors for depression in pregnancy and the postpartum period. What seems to matter most is how supported a mother feels, more than how many people she has. A mother with a small circle who feels understood may fare as well as one with many people around her. Support can come from a partner, family, friends, a , or a peer group.
The deeper version
Social support is commonly divided into structural support, meaning network size and contact, and functional support, meaning perceived availability and received help. Perceived support has shown the most consistent association with antenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms, more so than network size. Mechanisms are discussed under the stress-buffering hypothesis (Cohen and Wills, 1985) and under direct-effects models. Psychosocial interventions for preventing were reviewed by Dennis and Dowswell (Cochrane, 2013), with mixed results across designs. and have been studied with heterogeneous outcomes. Measurement often uses the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support or the Social Support Questionnaire.
Where it comes up
- Asking for help, and letting it inSupport, Home, and Village
- Building your birth teamGetting Ready for Birth
- Being fed: why food is careNourishment and Traditions
- Pregnancy as a single parentPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Support groups and peer supportPostpartum: Mind
- Finding your villageSupport, Home, and Village
- What to bring a new mother (if you're the friend)Support, Home, and Village
What mothers here say about social support
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Cohen S, Wills TA — Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin 1985
- Dennis CL, Dowswell T — Psychosocial and psychological interventions for preventing postpartum depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013