title: Social support and positive health practices.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between positive health practices and social support, self-esteem, and optimism. The relationships between social support and self-esteem and between social support and optimism were also examined. Two alternative mediational models. with self-esteem in Model 1 and optimism in Model 2, were tested to help explain the relationship between social support and positive health practices in middle-age adults. The sample of 202 middle-age adults completed a demographic data sheet, the Personal Lifestyle Questionnaire, Personal Resource Questionnaire 85-Part 2, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Revised Life Orientation Test. The five correlational hypotheses were supported. Social support, self-esteem, and optimism were all positively related to positive health practices, and social support was positively related to self-esteem and optimism. The two mediational models tested with regression analyses were not supported.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Education/ Research, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne Lamb
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: McNicholas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012944:Social Support