Social Support and Mental Health in Middle-Aged Men and Women

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the association between various aspects of social support and depressive symptoms separately among men and women. METHOD: Using a sample of 6,767 middle-aged adults from one wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (1992-1993), the authors performed a series of ANCOVAs predicting depressive symptoms and controlling for background variables. RESULTS: The authors found that the receipt of emotional support was associated with mental health in women only, whereas the provision of emotional and instrumental support was associated with mental health among men and women, but with varying patterns. For example, men who provided instrumental support to nonkin only had the highest levels of depressive symptoms, whereas women who provided instrumental support to kin only had the highest levels of symptoms. DISCUSSION: This study helps to clarify if and what types of social support are related to mental health in men and women.