SOCIAL SUPPORT PROVIDERS FOR POSTPARTUM WOMEN

Hobfoll and his colleagues have emphasized the importance of having a variety of resources (including support providers) in order to effecti vely deal with a wide array of life situations. The present study inve stigated who provided social support to a sample of postpartum women a cross ten life situations. We also examined the relationship between t he number of support providers in each situation and levels of perceiv ed social support, satisfaction with support received, closeness to hu sband and closeness to baby. Participants were interviewed in their ph ysicians' offices while waiting for their six-week postpartum examinat ions, using the Personal Resource questionnaire. Spouses were most fre quently listed as sources of support, and having more sources of suppo rt was related to feeling supported in most of the life situations. Cl oseness to husband and baby were also related to having more sources o f support in several situations. Implications and possible future rese arch are discussed.