1 Mental Health in US Adults: The Role of Positive Social Support and Social Negativity in Personal Relationships Elizabeth M. Bertera, PhD Associate Professor National Catholic School of Social Service The Catholic University of America Washington DC This research was funded in part by a grant from The Catholic University of America. Presented at APHA, Washington, DC November 9, 2004 This paper will be published in Vol. 22, Num.1(February, 2005), of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

2 Study Purpose Describe how positive social support and social negativity in personal relationships affect mental health in US Adults.

3 Background of Study The study is based on data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) ( ) N = 4,688 adults ages The NCS was a nationally representative survey of the prevalence and correlates of DSM-III-R disorders in the US households.

4 Independent Variables Social Support - 6 Item Index Chronbach Alpha =.81 Example: Does Spouse (relative or friend) care for you? Social Negativity- 6 Item Index Chronbach Alpha =.89 Example: How often do your friends (spouse or relatives) make you feel tense?

5 DEPENDENT VARIABLES (Based on CIDI) Anxiety Disorders Index Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Panic Social Phobia Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) Mood Disorders Index Depression Bi-polar Dysthymia

6 Sociodemographic Characteristics

7 Social Negativity Score by Gender and Source (P <.001)

8 Social Negativity Score by Racial/Ethnic Group and Source ( P <.001)

9 Social Negativity Score by Years of Education and Source (P <.001)

10 Social Negativity Score by Income and Source (P <.001)

11 Social Negativity Score by Physical Health and Source (P <.001)

12 Positive Social Support Scores by Gender and Source ( P <.001)

13 Positive Social Support Scores by Race/Ethnicity and Source ( P <.001)

14 Positive Social Support Scores by Years of Education and Source ( P <.001)

15 Positive Social Support Scores by Income and Source (P <.001)

16 Positive Social Support Scores by Physical Health and Source (P <.001)

17 Standardized Regression Coefficients for variables predicting the number of Anxiety and Mood Disorder Episodes (*P <.001) VariableAnxiety Disorder Mood Disorders Positive SSSpouse Relatives-0.28 *-0.39 * Friends Negative SSSpouse0.39 * 0.42 * Relatives0.32 * 0.27 * Friends0.17 * 0.23 * Total R * 0.19 *

18 Findings Both positive and negative social exchanges were associated with social, demographic and physical health characteristics. The level of physical health indicated strong, graded, and inverse relationship with social negativity scores.

19 Findings There were significant differences in social negativity scores by gender, income and physical health for all three social network sources. Female respondents reported significantly more perceived social negativity from spouses and from relatives and less from friends compared to males.

20 Findings In general, female gender, lower education, lower income, and poorer physical health were associated with more perceived social negativity. White racial group, more education, higher incomes, and better physical health were associated with more perceived positive social support. Males had more positive social support from spouses, while females had more positive social support from relatives and friends.

21 Implications This study confirms the need to understand both the sources and types of social support that exist in social exchanges. In assessing the social relationships of clients with mental disorders it is important to not only assess positive social support but sources and circumstances of social negativity as well.

22Implications The presence of social negativity with network members can introduce stress into relationships, while the lack of social support may leave individuals without protective buffers, especially when confronted with social-emotional stressors. The community mental health movement and changing public perceptions have increased the population of clients requesting mental health services. Improved social support is an intervention that could be incorporated into existing diagnostic, treatment and prevention efforts.