RELATIONSHIP STATUS MODERATES THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOCIAL SUPPORT AND POSITIVE AFFECTS: RESULTS FROM THE NSOC

Previous studies have shown that ethnic minority caregivers have lower socioeconomic status, are more likely to receive informal social support, and often report worse health than their White counterparts (Pinquart & Sörensen, 2005). Although the positive effects of social support on caregiver emotional and psychological well-being have been well documented, the contextual mechanisms invoked to explain these effects remain contentious among minorities. Using a sample of 420 Black Family Caregivers (BFC) from the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC - Round 5) and guided by capital theory, the present study investigated the moderating effects of relationship status (RS) on the association of social support (SS) on positive affect (PA). Hierarchical regression analysis results revealed that both SS and RS were significant predictors of positive affect and the interaction term between SS and RS accounted for a significant portion of the variance in PA; indicating that RS moderated the association between SS and PA. Results also showed that the interaction effect was only significant among unmarried individuals. Among this group, high social support was associated with greater positive affect. Implications of the findings for minority caregivers will be addressed.