ABSTRAKT

As a way of understanding both population and individual health, social support has become one of the most important variables in contemporary research. However, research suggests that rehabilitation professionals have been slow to recognize the importance of social support and to appropriately emphasize it in rehabilitation and follow-up. This review discusses the literature on social support as it applies to the issues of people with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals. After defining key terms (social support, rehabilitation, and disability), a summary of research on social support in disabled populations is provided, organized according to network characteristics, sources, types, and evaluation of support. Next, four views of the relationships between social support and health are explored: the social isolation view, the dispositional view, the stress-buffering view and the coping assistance view. Each is examined for evidence with people with disabilities and implications for research. Finally, the literature is synthesized to examine recommendations for intervention based on social support. Interventions at the level of the individual, the family, group, and community are explored.