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Abstract
There is a strong evidence base suggesting the importance of the general construct of social support, however, little is known about the protective impact of distinct sources of support, particularly among military service members. This cross-sectional study investigated the protective impact of five distinct sources of social support on stress and mental health symptoms among 431 active duty U.S. Marines. Both pre- and post-war Marines were included in this study in order to assess a spectrum of military-related stress, rather than only focusing on stress specific to deployment or combat exposure in post-war service members. Hypotheses regarding the factor structure of social support were examined to determine whether participants discriminate between five distinct sources of support (i.e., a special person, family members, military peers, non-military friends, and military leaders), and to determine which of the distinct sources of support were most protective against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. The results revealed that Marines discriminated between the five distinct sources of support as expected, and that the five-factor structure was a better model of social support compared to a general construct of social support. Additionally, the five distinct sources were protective against symptoms of MDD and GAD, but not PTSD. Support from the special person provided the most protection against MDD when highly stressed. Support from military-leaders provided the most protection against GAD symptoms when highly stressed and the second most protection against MDD when highly stressed. Despite the noted limitations, this study contributed to the literature by helping to map out the social network and potentially protective sources of support involved in the stress-mental health relationship among active duty military service members in the United States.