Effects of culture and age on the perceived exchange of social support resources.

This research explores the perceived exchange of social support resources of young, midlife, and older adults in the United States and Japan, and how perceptions of exchange may moderate attributions of control, difficulty, and success in attaining important life-goals. A survey was administered to participants in the United States and Japan who ranged in age from 17 to 70 years. Results suggested culture and age to influence the designation of important life-goals, and to interactively moderate the perceived exchange of social support resources in the interpersonal contexts of family and business associates and co-workers.

The attainment of important health goals throughout adulthood: an integration of the theory of planned behavior and aspects of social support.

This research integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with aspects of social support and explores the utility of variables within each model in predicting the attainment of important health goals. Incorporating an idiographic methodology, 290 respondents ranging in age from 27 to 87 years were administered a postal survey and completed a brief follow-up telephone survey months later. The postal survey included measures of respondent's most important health goals, attitudes, motivation to comply with subjective norms, control beliefs, behavioral intention, and plan-of-action for attaining the health goal, as well as aspects of social support.