This paper explores the links between housing stressors, social suppor
ts and psychological distress. It was hypothesised that exposure to ho
using stressors would be significantly related to psychological distre
ss, but that the adverse effects of housing stressors would be moderat
ed by perceptions of social support resources. In other words, the str
ess/symptom relationship would be attenuated for individuals who belie
ve that they have active and supportive social relationships. The resu
lts of a study conducted in the two New Zealand cities of Auckland and
Christchurch partially confirmed this hypothesis, indicating that soc
ial support plays a role in mitigating the adverse effects of housing
stressors. However, this relationship depends on the severity of the h
ousing stressors. Among our respondents, the presence of social suppor
t was indeed associated with reduced symptom levels for those exposed
to moderate housing stressors. However, among respondents subjected to
high levels of housing stressors, social support was not associated w
ith reduced psychological distress, indicating the need for a more spe
cific policy response to the issue of seriously deficient housing.