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Social Support, Locus of Control, and Psychological Well‐Being
Author(s) -
VanderZee Karen I.,
Buunk Bram P.,
Sanderman Robbert
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1997.tb01628.x
Subject(s) - locus of control , psychology , personality , social support , psychological intervention , social psychology , locus (genetics) , developmental psychology , genetics , psychiatry , gene , biology
Social support seems to be positively related to psychological well‐being. Studies have shown that individual differences exist in the ability to mobilize and use sources of support. The current study focused on locus of control as a personality factor that might be related to this ability. In 2 samples it was shown that individuals with an internal locus of control perceived more support than did individuals with an external locus of control. Moreover, Study 1 included a sample of mainly females and showed that social support was particularly related to the psychological well‐being of individuals with an external locus of control. In a second study, this moderating effect of locus of control could only be replicated for women. For men, no moderating effect of locus of control was found. The implications of these findings for interventions are discussed.