Received Support, Anticipated Support, Social Class, and Mortality

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships among received support, anticipated support, social class, and mortality. Anticipated support is defined as the belief that significant others will provide assistance in the future should the need arise. Data from a prospective nationwide survey of older adults indicate that greater received support is associated with an increased mortality risk. However, the findings further reveal that anticipated support is associated with lower mortality risk, but these beneficial effects are evident only in the upper social classes. Finally, the analyses suggest that there may be a reciprocal relationship between received support and anticipated support. However, the relationship between these dimensions of support varies by social class standing.