Does social support help in bereavement?

A review of studies on the role of social support as a moderator of bereavement outcome indicates that there is limited evidence for the widely held assumption that social support buffers the bereaved against the impact of the loss experience and/or facilitates recovery. A test of the buffering/recovery hypothesis is reported, which is based on data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study, a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 and older. Information from women who became bereaved during the study, on social support and depression measured before, and six, 18, and 48 months after bereavement, was used. There was a main effect of social support on depressive symptoms, but no indication for either a buffering or a recovery effect. Theoretical implications are discussed.