Personal relationships that may be relied upon for emotional or material support in times of need.
Help given by others to provide feedback, satisfy needs, and validate one’s experience. A large body of research suggests that the loss of social support is a causal factor of both physical and psychological disease. Nursing practice uses social supports such as tangible materials, teaching, and intimate interactions to restore, promote, and care for patients.
Refers to social interactions embedded within a network of social relationships that provide a person with potential access to or receipt of actual or perceived resources from others who are perceived as caring.