Title: Social support - Wikipedia
Headings: Social support
Social support
Contents
Categories and definitions
Distinctions in measurement
Sources
Online social support
Links to mental and physical health
Benefits
Mental health
Physical health
Costs
Two dominant models
Theories to explain the links
Biological pathways
Support groups
Providing support
Social defense system
Gender and culture
Gender differences
Cultural differences
References

Content: Seeking informational social support allows users to access suggestions, advice, and information regarding health concerns or recovery. Many need social support, and with its emergence on social media access can be obtained from a wider range of people in need. Wong and Ma (2016) have done research that shows online social support affects users' online subjective well-being. Links to mental and physical health
Benefits
Mental health
Social support profile is associated with increased psychological well-being in the workplace and in response to important life events. There has been an ample amount of evidence showing that social support aids in lowering problems related to one's mental health. As reported by Cutrona, Russell, and Rose, in the elderly population that was in their studies, their results showed that elderly individuals who had relationships where their self-esteem was elevated were less likely to have a decline in their health. In stressful times, social support helps people reduce psychological distress (e.g., anxiety or depression ). Social support can simultaneously function as a problem-focused (e.g. receiving tangible information that helps resolve an issue) and emotion-focused coping strategy (e.g. used to regulate emotional responses that arise from the stressful event) Social support ≤has been found to promote psychological adjustment in conditions with chronic high stress like HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, stroke, and coronary