Which model suggests that the effects of stressors depend on an individual's social network?

• A. Social-supports model
• B. Stressor-outcome model
• C. Coping resources model
• D. Crisis management model

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how social context shapes the impact of stress. In the social-supports model, the effects of stressors depend on the support available from a person’s social network. When someone has strong, reliable ties—family, friends, colleagues—they receive emotional support, practical help, and information that can lessen how threatening a stressor feels, boost confidence in coping, and provide additional resources. This buffering effect helps explain why similar stressors can lead to different outcomes for different people: those with richer social networks tend to fare better because their network alters the way stress is experienced and managed. In contrast, the stressor-outcome model focuses more on the stressor leading directly to outcomes without emphasizing social support; the coping resources model centers on individual resources rather than the surrounding network; and the crisis management model deals with organizational or systemic responses to crises. So the model that directly ties stress effects to an individual’s social network is the social-supports model.