Support features, psychological reactance, and support outcomes

Evaluating social network support for friends and daters

Bibliographic Data

ID21454385
AuthorsKellie St Cyr Brisini, Kellie S Brisini (0000-0002-9682-2820, corresponding author), Ningyang Ocean Wang (0000-0001-7641-1381)
Year2024
Volume72
Issue1
Pages1-27
Publication date2024-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunication Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0146-3373 • E-ISSN: 1746-4102
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01463373.2023.2281678
OpenAlexW4388941346
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited59

This study examined the ways in which characteristics of support interactions associate with psychological reactance and, in turn, affect support outcomes. Recent studies have linked the content/quality of support messages to psychological reactance. We build on those findings by exploring associations between reactance and features of the support provider, recipient, and problem-context. We gathered data from 615 college students who described a disagreement with a dating partner (280) or friend (335). Participants reported their perceptions of perceived support availability and relational closeness with the support provider. They then evaluated a support message that varied in verbal person-centeredness. Results suggest a mediating role of psychological reactance on support outcomes. Significant mean differences were identified for support outcomes between the dating and friend contexts, but the associations between the variables were not statistically different between the groups. Discussion addresses supportive communication as a form of social influence that may induce psychological reactance

Affect (linguistics) · Closeness · Cognitive psychology · Context (archaeology) · Developmental psychology · Perception · Reactance · Recall · Social media · Social network (sociolinguistics) · Social support · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Psychology · Social Psychology

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