Personal and situational determinants of relationship-specific perceptions of social support

This study explores personal (self-esteem, perceived stress, and depressive mood) and situational (undesirable life events) variables as determinants of relationship-specific perceptions of social support. Structural equation analyses from two-wave panel data (N = 583) of adult participants from a community-based urban sample revealed that, after controlling for initial levels of perceived social support, psychological characteristics (high levels of stress and depression, and low levels of self-esteem) and situational determinants (number of undesirable life events) were both negatively related to perceived social support from specific significant relationships over time. Multigroup analyses revealed that these processes generalized across groups of gender, income, and marital status (single vs. married). Implications of these findings are discussed.