THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF RECEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT - DIMENSIONALITY AND THE PREDICTION OF DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION

Covariance structure analyses were carried out on the Inventory of Soc ially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB; Barrera, Sandler, & Ramsey, 1981) to corroborate a hypothesized four-factor measurement model of received social support. Examination of the influence of the separate dimension s of the ISSB indicated that the four dimensions correlated in opposit e directions with depression. Aggregation across the fu II set of ISSB items yielded a composite ISSB score that failed to predict depressio n and obscured the dynamics of these differential relations. By contra st, all four dimensions of the ISSB exhibited positive relations with life satisfaction, and total ISSB scores explained as much variance in life satisfaction as did the individual subscales. In general, the fo ur ISSB dimensions proved to be differentially related to depression a nd life satisfaction in ways that were predictable, informative, and t heoretically meaningful. The results of the present investigation illu strate the utility of a multidimensional conceptualization of the cons truct of enacted social support.