Social Support and Mental Health in Diverse Populations

Social support is recognised as a fundamental determinant of mental health across populations, buffering stress, fostering resilience and enhancing quality of life. Research has examined diverse sources of support—family, friends, significant others and community networks—and their differential impact on disorders ranging from depression to anxiety. Cross-cultural investigations have adapted and validated instruments, such as the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, to ensure measurement fidelity in varied linguistic and societal contexts. Attention to marginalised groups—including new mothers, older adults, migrants and healthcare professionals—has highlighted structural inequities in both access to support and mental-health outcomes. Interventions leveraging digital platforms, peer networks and integrated care models demonstrate practical promise, underscoring the global imperative of embedding social support within public-health strategies for mental-wellbeing.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Social Support and Mental Health in Diverse Populations publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in social support and mental health in diverse populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Perceived social support: An individual’s subjective appraisal of available emotional, informational and practical assistance from social networks.

Structural equation modelling: A multivariate statistical technique for testing hypothesised relationships among observed and latent variables.

Confirmatory factor analysis: A statistical method used to verify the factor structure of a set of observed variables against a priori theoretical model.

Institutional satisfaction: The degree to which service recipients perceive the quality of organisational care and support as meeting their needs.

Quality of life: A broad multidimensional concept encompassing physical health, psychological state, social relationships and environmental context.

References

1. Development and psychometric properties of a perceived social support scale for nurses returning to work after childbirth. BMC Nursing (2024).
2. Structural Equation Model for Social Support and Quality of Life Among Individuals With Mental Health Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (2023).
3. The satisfaction of elderly people with elderly caring social organizations and its relationship with social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health (2023).
4. A systematic review of the psychometric properties of the cross-cultural translations and adaptations of the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS). Health and Quality of Life Outcomes (2018).