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The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the prominent research areas regarding the impact of supportive communication on health. Several important literature reviews already exist (e.g. Burleson Albrecht Heaney Uchino Cacioppo Sarason Pierce & Sarason 1990). However most derive from the domains of interpersonal communication sociology health education and social psychology. Our contribution is to provide a review of this terrain from the vantage point of health communication. We include a brief overview of the history of conceptualizing social support as communication a summary of representative findings on the relationship between supportive interaction and health and illness a discussion of promising frameworks and directions for research and a review of the implications for further practice and interventions. (excerpt)
Albrecht et al. (Wed,) studied this question.