Abstract
In this paper, several issues in the study of social support are discussed. Although there are several different approaches to defining the concept of social support, social support measures may be divided into two categories: structural and functional. Structural support includes size, density or linkage among the network members, marital status, and other demographic indices. Functional component of social support is defined as an individual's perception of the availability of support and of the resources provided. As the concept of social support is broad, it is difficult to find one measure that covers all aspects of social support, or is suitable for all types of studies. It is highly recommended to develop a reliable measurement scale for social support which is applicable to Japanese population.
Two models of disease causation have been proposed, one in which social networks and support are seen as buffers (buffer hypothesis), and another in which lack of social ties and support are seen as potent stressors (main effect hypothesis). Studies of structural support tends to find evidence for the main effects, and studies of functional support often find evidence for buffering effect. However, physiological mechanisms through which social support affects the development of, trigger of, and recovery from disease are not fully clarified. It is important to introduce more precise measures of social support and to use reliable psychological or biological measures.
Research activity should be expanded from cardiovascular disease to other chronic diseases, from men to women, from adult to children or elderly, which will enrich the findings in social support research.
