Understanding the outcomes of supportive communication: A dual-process approach

Numerous factors affect the outcomes of supportive interactions, including aspects of the supportive message, the helper, the interaction context, and the recipient. This article proposes that the direct and interactive effects of these factors can be explained through a dual-process theory of supportive communication outcomes, which provides a comprehensive, integrative treatment of when and why collections of variables in supportive interactions generate the effects they do. The article reviews some of factors that influence the outcomes of supportive interactions, explicates the dual-process theory of supportive communication outcomes, illustrates the theory by describing recent studies designed to test it, and discusses aspects of the theory that need attention and directions for future research.