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Measurement strategies in social support: A descriptive review of the literature
Author(s) -
Winemiller David R.,
Mitchell M. Ellen,
Sutliff Jane,
Cline Daniel I.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(199309)49:5<638::aid-jclp2270490505>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - clarity , psychology , social support , sample (material) , perspective (graphical) , maturity (psychological) , descriptive statistics , applied psychology , social psychology , data science , developmental psychology , computer science , statistics , artificial intelligence , biochemistry , chemistry , mathematics , chromatography
Social support literature has been criticized for lacking methodological clarity. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic descriptive review of the social support literature, outline measurement problems, identify the nature of assessment inadequacies, and provide recommendations for the future. Two‐hundred sixty‐two empirically based articles published between 1980 and 1987 were reviewed comprehensively. Information about social support measurement and sample characteristics was obtained. A system was designed to organize the data on sample characteristics, type of instrument, source of support assessed, and category of support measured. The social support literature also was described from a methodological perspective, and several trends were identified. Conclusions about conceptual maturity, a priori biases, measurement of network utilization, and social support sources are discussed.