Social Support & Major Depressive Disorder (DP IB Psychology): Revision Note

Social support & MDD

• Sociocultural explanations suggest that isolation and a lack of social support can worsen stress, which may lead to MDD symptoms (low mood, loss of motivation, insomnia etc.)

• Social support can act as a protective factor, reducing the impact of stress and lowering the risk of developing MDD

• The more social support a person has, the better they can cope with life's stressors

• Without support, symptoms of MDD may intensify

• Examples of social support include:

  • Being part of a loving family

  • Involvement in the local community

  • Taking part in group activities (e.g., sport, arts, volunteering)

  • Having at least one close friend to confide in

Types of social support

• Instrumental support

  • Providing practical help that reduces external pressures

  • E.g., lending money or providing childcare to remove sources of financial or role-related stress

• Esteem support

  • Reinforcing someone's self-worth and confidence

    • E.g., expressing belief in their abilities to make challenges feel manageable

• Emotional support

  • Providing empathy and reassurance which reduces psychological stress

    • E.g., listening attentively and showing understanding to reduce feelings of isolation

• These types often overlap and can also be provided online or over the phone, not just face-to-face

• Together, they buffer stress, making people more resilient and less likely to develop or worsen MDD

Cultural & gender factors

• Cultural differences

  • In collectivist cultures, extended family and community networks provide strong instrumental, esteem and emotional support

    • E.g., family members sharing financial resources, expressing pride, and show care

  • In individualist cultures, people often rely on smaller friendship circles or formal support systems, such as therapy

    • This promotes independence and autonomy but can increase isolation if close ties are lacking

  • Collectivist cultures may therefore offer greater protection against stress, while individualistic cultures may leave some people more vulnerable

• Gender differences

  • Females usually have wider social networks and are more likely to seek and provide emotional support

    • Talking openly about feelings strengthens emotional and esteem support

  • Males may rely more on instrumental support

    • In some cultures, men are discouraged from expressing vulnerability, which limits emotional support

  • Women report higher rates of diagnosed MDD, partly because they are more likely to seek medical help and disclose symptoms

Research support for social support & MDD

 Auerbach et al. (2011)

 Aim:

• To investigate the relationship between social support, stress, and depressive symptoms in adolescents

 Participants:

• 258 Canadian adolescents (aged 12–18)

• 57% female, 43% male

 Procedure:

• Participants completed questionnaires measuring:

  • Symptoms of MDD

  • Levels of anxiety

  • Stressful life events

  • Amount of social support from parents and friends

• Follow-ups took place every 6 weeks over 6 months

 Results:

• Adolescents with low levels of social support reported higher levels of MDD symptoms

Conclusion:

• Social support from parents and friends is a key protective factor against MDD in adolescents

Evaluation of the role of social support & MDD

Strengths

• Social support is flexible – different types may be more useful in different situations (e.g., emotional support during relationship breakdown, instrumental support during financial stress)

• Research shows social support generally helps individuals cope with stress positively, which reduces the likelihood of MDD

Limitations

• Social support may not always help; if it is perceived as interference, or if it encourages harmful coping (e.g., drinking, smoking), it may worsen stress

• It is difficult to isolate and measure different types of social support, making it unclear which are most influential in protecting against MDD

Link to concepts

Bias

• Using self-reporting methods can be prone to several types of participant bias, including:

  • social desirability bias – participants may answer to present themselves in the best light possible

  • response bias - participants may answer according to how they think the researchers want them to respond

• Bias can also stem from researchers only focusing on the responses that support their hypothesis/preconceptions (confirmation bias)

• To this extent the validity of research into how social support mediates the symptoms of MDD would be affected

Measurement

• Social and behavioural variables are very difficult to measure, as they are prone to subjectivity and inconsistency

  • What may constitute social support for one person may not be recognised as such by someone else

    • This means that a reliable measure of social support is difficult to establish