Who Gets Social Support, Who Gives It, and How It’s Related to Recipient’s Mood

Abstract

We sought to identify personal characteristics associated with receiving and perceiving social support, and characteristics of support providers who give the most support and are perceived as the most available. In samples of students ( n = 755) and community adults ( n = 430), we found that people who were younger, female, more extraverted, more conscientious, and more open received and perceived more support. Female providers and romantic partners were associated with more support whereas coworkers were associated with less. In many cases, social support mediated associations between these characteristics and recipient mood. For instance, recipients reported they experience more positive mood and less negative mood when interacting with female providers. These associations were partly explained by increased received and perceived support from female providers. Notable differences emerged between received support and perceived support, and between the student and community samples. Implications for increasing support for poorly supported individuals are discussed.