Social support: factors to consider when designing studies that measure social support

Research into the area of social support has been associated with confusion and concern. Much of the previous work in this area has inherent and serio us difficulties, especially with regard to measurement issues surrounding t he concept and with study design. However, it is paramount that social supp ort research is further developed to allow effective interventions by healt h care professionals to influence positive outcomes in patient care. It is only by adopting a rigorous approach to social support research that its fu ll potential can be achieved, that it can result in the positive promotion of recovery from mental and physical illness and that it can then become an important tool for the health care professional. This paper aims to clarif y research issues relating to social support definition, measurement and st udy design, including methodology, selection of instruments and analysis. G uidance will be provided concerning the important factors to consider to ac hieve a well-designed study to measure social support.