Gender Differences in the Dimensionality of Social Support¹

Abstract

Although theoretical frameworks have been developed and research has been conducted in the area of social support, little attention has been given to the influence of gender on the dimensionality of social support. In addition, much of the research on social support has been conducted solely with student samples. In the present study, two samples (students, N = 304, and working adults, N = 301) completed a social support questionnaire. The survey instrument measured four types of social support (appraisal, instrumental, informational, and emotional) from four different sources (supervisor, coworker, spouse, and friends). For the student sample, women reported higher levels of social support than men on most dimensions (i.e., 11 of 16 dimensions), with 5 yielding statistically significant differences. For the sample of working adults, men reported higher levels of social support on most of the dimensions (i.e., 10 of 16), with 5 representing statistically significant differences. Differences in results between the two samples are discussed.