Abstract:
A substantial body of work on the concept of social support has resulted in many definitions,
but none have been accepted as definitive. The lack of consensus about the definition of social
support has resulted in a lack of consistency and comparability among studies. More important,
the validity of any study attempting to measure or influence social support is undermined
by the use of generic definitions, which lack contextual sensitivity. In this article concept
analysis is used to evaluate definitions of social support to ascertain their utility for
research. The authors argue that a contextualized approach to the definition of social support
is Ilecessary to improve clarity in research, and results in interventions or practices that are
useful. They also assert that the development ofa contextualized definition of social support
requires qualitative methods to explore the meaning of social support with groups of people
for whom intervention research is ultimately intended.
