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Issues of conceptualization and measurement of social support in the construction of nursing theory
Author(s) -
Tilden Virginia Peterson
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.4770080214
Subject(s) - conceptualization , construct (python library) , perspective (graphical) , nursing theory , social support , development theory , focus (optics) , ideal (ethics) , psychology , nursing research , nursing , sociology , engineering ethics , medline , social psychology , epistemology , medicine , computer science , political science , philosophy , physics , optics , artificial intelligence , economics , law , market economy , programming language , engineering
Social support has emerged in the last decade as a significant health behavior and, therefore, a promising focus of theory development in nursing. Nursing's concern with health, environment, and person provides an ideal perspective from which to take the lead in research, instrument development, and theory construction in social support. The focus of this article is the present development of the construct to assist nurse scholars toward an adequate conception of social support. Theoretical frameworks underlying definitions are examined, and issues of measurement and clinical assessment are discussed.