Stress, social support, and well-being in midlife black and white women.

Abstract

This study explored the relationships among stress, social support, and well-being in two samples of midlife, college-educated women, one Black (N = 68) and one White (N = 107). The White sample are graduates of the University of Michigan class of 1967; the Black sample are graduates of the University of Michigan classes of 1967 to 1973. The current study was based on data collected from both samples in 1992. The major research questions focused on the influence of stress and social support on aspects of well-being (i.e., anxiety, depression, and physical health) in midlife, and the buffering effect of social support on the stress-well-being relationship. Results revealed a relationship between stress and poor well-being for the Black sample, and for a subgroup of the White sample--those women whose mothers were not college educated. Emotional social support was associated with well-being among Black women, but not for either subgroup of White women. Finally, social support did not have a buffering effect on the relationship between stress and well-being in either sample. Overall, these results suggest that both stress and social support have direct effects for midlife Black women, who have higher levels of stress and fewer resources (household income) than the White women. Among this sample of White women, those whose mothers did not attend college showed the impact of stress on well-being, underscoring the importance of status and resources in the stress-well-being paradigm. Future research on stress and well-being should include more attention to the status and resources people bring to their stress and support experiences.