ASSESSING STRESS-BUFFERING EFFECTS - A CAUTIONARY NOTE

Research on the stress-buffering functions of social support is equivo cal. The purpose of this study was to suggest that part of the reason for these contradictory findings may be due to the fact that researche rs have misspecified the relationship between stress and support. Inst ead of always being an effective coping resource, this study tested th e view that there are limits to the beneficial effects of assistance p rovided by others and that beyond a certain level support may actually exacerbate the noxious impact of stress. Data from a recent nationwid e survey of older adults support this more complex perspective. More s pecifically, the data suggest that although emotional support initiall y reduces the effects of chronic financial strain on depressive sympto ms, further increments in emotional assistance are associated with inc reased psychological distress.