International nursing research in social support: theoretical and methodological issues

Social support has been widely studied within cultures as a variable that is protective of health and mental health, either directly or as a buffer against life stress. When research is conducted across cultures, several conceptual and methodological issues emerge. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the conceptual basis for assuming that social support is a universal phenomenon, to suggest areas in which manifestations of social support may be culture-specific, and to present methodological issues that need to be addressed in conducting valid international research on social support.