The relationship between mothers' use of social support and their psychological well-being following marital separation

The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and moderating influence of social support on the relationship between life change and mothers' psychological well-being approximately 5-6 months following marital separation. The sample consisted of 108 residential mothers with children between the ages of 3 and 18. Mothers' psychological well-being was conceptualized in terms of three dimensions: emotional affect, self-esteem, and psychosomatic symptomatology. Life change was measured by assessing the occurrence and disruptiveness of changes in mothers' lives since the separation. Three dimensions of social support were measured: range (total support), sources of support, and functions of support. For the most part, buffering effects of social support on the relationship between life change and psychological well-being were non-significant. Rather, the use of social support was directly related to separated mothers' emotional affect and self-esteem but not to psychosomatic symptomatology.