Toward a multidimensional construct of social support: implications of provider's self-reliance and request characteristics

The two studies reported here sought to propose a multidimensional taxonomy for providing social support, and to use an attachment-theory framework to investigate provision of support at work. Additionally, the studies sought to explore the distinct contextual considerations that affect decisions on the type of support provided. In Study 1, case studies were presented to 164 hospital nurses, who, taking the role of the head nurse, were asked to deal with a distressed staff nurse who was either high or low tenured, and whose cause of distress was either personal or job-related. In the second study, 55 nurses with various job tenures described the support behaviors of their superiors. In both studies, support interventions and attachment styles were measured. Results provided partial evidence of the multidimensionality of social support, and indicated that it contains 4 distinct support behaviors: helping, maintenance, referral, and encouragement of self-coping. Furthermore, the distinct support behaviors were affected by different attachment styles and contextual considerations.