A lack of emotional support from parents during childhood has been found to predict both physical and mental health problems (i.e., chronic health conditions, depression) during middle and older adulthood. Less research has examined the factors that may either buffer or amplify this association. Using the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) national sample (N = 7,108; age = 20–75 years), the current study examined the moderating role of social support and social strain from three sources (i.e., family, friends, partner/spouse) on the association between early parental support and changes in chronic health conditions and depression. Poisson models indicated that low levels of early parental support were associated with greater health problems over time. However, the association between parental support and chronic health conditions was only significant for individuals with greater levels of friend strain. Additionally, the association between parental support and depression was only significant for individuals with low levels of support from a partner/spouse and high levels of strain from relationships with a partner/spouse. The current findings demonstrate the important role of source-specific social support and social strain in buffering individuals’ risk for experiencing increased problematic outcomes in response to a lack of early parental support.

已经发现，儿童时期父母缺乏情感支持可以预测中年和成年期的身体和精神健康问题（即慢性健康状况，抑郁症）。较少的研究检查了可能缓冲或放大这种关联的因素。使用美国中年发展（MIDUS）国家样本（N = 7,108; 年龄= 20-75岁），当前研究检查了三种来源（即家庭，朋友，伴侣/配偶）的社会支持和社会压力对父母早期支持与慢性健康状况和抑郁变化之间的关联的调节作用。泊松模型表明，随着时间的推移，低水平的父母早期支持与更大的健康问题相关。但是，父母支持和慢性健康状况之间的关联仅对具有较高朋友压力水平的个体有意义。另外，父母支持与抑郁之间的联系仅对伴侣/配偶的支持水平低和与伴侣/配偶的关系紧张的人有意义。