SynthesisPsychological bulletin2021
Examining moderators of the relationship between social support and self-reported PTSD symptoms: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Psychological bulletin, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 92 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
92 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 193 citations in OpenAlex.
- Current evidence and future directions for social and societal resilience factors in response to societal challenges and crises: an overview of systematic reviews and expert rating.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- The association between social support and prosocial behavior: A three-level meta-analysis.PsyCh journal · 2024Pooled it
- Epidemiology of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Iranian Population From 2019 to 2024: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Archives of Iranian medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Parent-Child Communication About Potentially Traumatic Events: A Systematic Review.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2024Pooled it
- Associations between constructs related to social relationships and mental health conditions and symptoms: an umbrella review.BMC psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Health Effects of Cyclones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Studies.Environmental health perspectives · 2023Pooled it
- Self-reported PTSD symptoms and social support in U.S. military service members and veterans: a meta-analysis.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2021Pooled it
- From Somatic Experiencing to felt safety: assessing the effects of a body-oriented intervention in adults with various degrees of child maltreatment.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Trial
- The role of gender and child sexual abuse history in treatment response in two treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of anxiety disorders · 2026Trial
- Social support facilitates threat extinction retention in humans: an fMRI study.Translational psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Screening for psychotrauma related symptomatology: Greek adaptation and validation of the Global Psychotrauma Screen.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Article
- The effects of trauma non-disclosure on symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression: findings from a prospective, population-based study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- How children with posttraumatic stress disorder view their social networks: a qualitative study.Journal of child & adolescent trauma · 2026Article
- The Role of Optimism-Pessimism in the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Developmental Problem Areas Among Adolescents in Türkiye.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2026Article
- Candidate transdiagnostic processes linking potentially traumatic experiences to psychopathology, mental well-being and resilience in emerging adults.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Association of Social Support With Complicated Grief and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Student Survivors of the Sewol Ferry Disaster: An Observational Longitudinal Study.Journal of Korean medical science · 2026Observational
- Longitudinal association between perceived social support and internet gaming disorder symptoms among Chinese adolescents: a serial mediation model.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Association of Psychological Safety with PTSD Symptoms Among Regional Firefighters in South Korea: Moderating Roles of Occupational Identity and Peer Support.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Social disconnection and subsequent mental disorders: a population-based cohort study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- The Moderating Role of Psychological Well-Being on the Association Between the Severity of Symptoms and Sociodemographic Factors Among Patients With Probable PTSD in Jordan: A Predictive Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Social support is one of the most robust predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, little is known about factors that moderate the relationship between social support and PTSD symptom severity. This meta-analysis estimated the overall effect size of the relationship between self-reported social support and PTSD severity and tested meaningful demographic, social support, and trauma characteristics that may moderate this association using both cross-sectional and longitudinal effect sizes. A comprehensive search identified 139 studies with 145 independent cross-sectional effect sizes representing 62,803 individuals and 37 studies with 38 independent longitudinal effect sizes representing 25,792 individuals. Study samples had to comprise trauma-exposed, nonclinical adult populations to be included in the analysis. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses revealed a near medium overall effect size (rcross = -.27; 95% CI [-.30, -.24]; rlong = -.25; 95% CI [-.28, -.21]) with a high degree of heterogeneity (cross-sectional I2 = 91.6, longitudinal I2 = 86.5). Both cross-sectional and longitudinal moderator analyses revealed that study samples exposed to natural disasters had a weaker effect size than samples exposed to other trauma types (e.g., combat, interpersonal violence), studies measuring negative social reactions had a larger effect size than studies assessing other types of social support, and veteran samples revealed larger effect sizes than civilian samples. Several other methodological and substantive moderators emerged that revealed a complex relationship between social support and PTSD severity. These findings have important clinical implications for the types of social support interventions that could mitigate PTSD severity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.