Perceived social support and chronic inflammation: The moderating role of self-esteem.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Social support is one of the strongest psychosocial predictors of physical health. However, is this the case for everyone? On the basis of recent research suggesting that self-esteem can moderate the psychological effects of social support, the present research investigated whether self-esteem would moderate the health benefits of social support. METHOD: A national sample of middle-aged adults (N = 949) completed self-report questionnaires on perceived social support, self-esteem, sociodemographic information, and health related behaviors. Two years later, they provided a blood sample that was analyzed for C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation. RESULTS: The effect of perceived social support on inflammation was moderated by self-esteem. Specifically, perceived social support predicted lower CRP for people with high self-esteem, whereas it was not significantly associated with CRP for those with low self-esteem. These results held even after controlling for sociodemographic information, health related behaviors, and medication usage. CONCLUSION: Self-esteem is a key variable that may modulate the link between social support and inflammation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The analyses controlled for sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, depressive symptoms, and birth control pill use based on prior work.
“Based on prior work,12,45,46 we controlled for extraneous factors associated with inflammation.”
From Social Media Use and Its Link to Physical Health Indicators (2022) · cites this paper as [46]
HSEs benefit from receiving compliments and social support as it validates and bolsters their positive self-views.
“For example, unlike LSEs who feel insecure after receiving a compliment, HSEs benefit from receiving compliments and social support as it validates and bolsters their positive self-views (Lee and Way, 2019; Marigold et al., 2007).”
From Social media use and systemic inflammation: The moderating role of self-esteem (2021) · cites this paper as Lee and Way, 2019
We controlled for extraneous factors that have been associated with inflammation.
“Based on prior work (Horn et al., 2018; Lee and Way, 2019; O'Connor et al., 2009), we controlled for extraneous factors that have been associated with inflammation.”
From Social media use and systemic inflammation: The moderating role of self-esteem (2021) · cites this paper as Lee and Way, 2019
Perceived social support was associated with lower CRP only for HSEs, presumably because LSEs' negative self-view often prevents them from benefiting from supportive relationships.
“However, recent work found that perceived social support was associated with lower CRP only for HSEs, presumably because LSEs’ negative self-view often prevents them from benefiting from supportive relationships (Lee and Way, 2019).”
From Social media use and systemic inflammation: The moderating role of self-esteem (2021) · cites this paper as Lee and Way, 2019
Cites
The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population
Radloff, L. S. (1977) · Applied Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/014662167700100306 · Cited by 53,267 · see citing works
Society and the Adolescent Self-Image
Rosenberg, M. (1965) · doi:10.1515/9781400876136 · Cited by 30,126 · see citing works
Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310 · Cited by 18,093 · see citing works
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 · Cited by 7,272 · see citing works
Social Relationships and Health
House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.3399889 · Cited by 7,073 · see citing works
Social Relationships and Health.
Cohen, S. (2004) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.59.8.676 · Cited by 4,852 · see citing works
Mechanisms Linking Social Ties and Support to Physical and Mental Health
Thoits, P. A. (2011) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146510395592 · Cited by 4,076 · see citing works
A new look at social support: A theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships
Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. L. (2015) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868314544222 · Cited by 1,521 · see citing works
Age-Associated Increased Interleukin-6 Gene Expression, Late-Life Diseases, and Frailty
Ershler, W. B., & Keller, E. T. (2000) · Annual Review of Medicine · doi:10.1146/annurev.med.51.1.245 · Cited by 1,282 · see citing works
Lakey, B., & Orehek, E. (2011) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/a0023477 · Cited by 931 · see citing works
Hogan, B. E., Linden, W., & Najarian, B. (2002) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/s0272-7358(01)00102-7 · Cited by 790 · see citing works
The new science of wise psychological interventions
Walton, G. M. (2014) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0963721413512856 · Cited by 655 · see citing works
O’Connor, M.-F., Bower, J. E., Cho, H. J., Creswell, J. D., Dimitrov, S., Hamby, M. E., Hoyt, M. A., Martin, J. L., Robles, T. F., Sloan, E. K., et al. (2009) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2009.04.005 · Cited by 500 · see citing works
Close relationships, inflammation, and health
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Gouin, J.-P., & Hantsoo, L. (2010) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.09.003 · Cited by 480 · see citing works
Psychosocial stress increases inflammatory markers and alters cytokine production across pregnancy
Coussons-Read, M. E., Okun, M. L., & Nettles, C. D. (2007) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2006.08.006 · Cited by 459 · see citing works
When rejection stings: How self-esteem constrains relationship-enhancement processes.
Murray, S., Rose, P., Bellavia, G. M., Holmes, J. G., & Kusche, A. G. (2002) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.83.3.556 · Cited by 386 · see citing works
Bioindicators in the MIDUS National Study: Protocol, Measures, Sample, and Comparative Context
Dienberg Love, G., Seeman, T. E., Weinstein, M., & Ryff, C. D. (2010) · Journal of Aging and Health · doi:10.1177/0898264310374355 · Cited by 333 · see citing works
Social support, social integration, and inflammatory cytokines: a meta-analysis
Uchino, B. N., Trettevik, R., Kent de Grey, R. G., Cronan, S., Hogan, J., & Baucom, B. R. W. (2018) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/hea0000594 · Cited by 320 · see citing works
Through the looking glass darkly? When self-doubts turn into relationship insecurities.
Murray, S., Holmes, J. G., MacDonald, G. W., & Ellsworth, P. C. (1998) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.75.6.1459 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Through the looking glass darkly? When self-doubts turn into relationship insecurities
Murray, S. L., Holmes, J. G., MacDonald, G., & Ellsworth, P. C. (1998) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.75.6.1459 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Ridker, P. M. (2009) · Clinical Chemistry · doi:10.1373/clinchem.2008.119214 · Cited by 206 · see citing works
Marigold, D. C., Holmes, J. G., & Ross, M. (2007) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.2.232 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Fostering relationship resilience: An intervention for low self-esteem individuals
Marigold, D. C., Holmes, J. G., & Ross, M. (2010) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2010.02.011 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Cultivating Effective Social Support Through Abstraction
Lee, D. S., & Ybarra, O. (2017) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167216688205 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Social Media Use and Its Link to Physical Health Indicators
Lee, D. S., Jiang, T., Crocker, J., & Way, B. M. (2022) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2021.0188 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Self-citationYan, S., Yang, J., Ye, M., Chen, S., Xie, C.-Y., Huang, J., & Liu, H. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.658307 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
The association of physician empathy with cancer patient outcomes: A meta‐analysis
Lelorain, S., Gehenne, L., Christophe, V., & Duprez, C. (2023) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.6108 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Ma, C., Mastrotheodoros, S., & Lan, X. (2022) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2022.111679 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Social media use and systemic inflammation: The moderating role of self-esteem
Lee, D. S., & Way, B. M. (2021) · Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health · doi:10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100300 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“Based on prior work (Horn et al., 2018; Lee and Way, 2019; O'Connor et al., 2009), we controlled for extraneous factors that have been associated with inflammation.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationHuang, H., Tu, L., Zhang, X., Zhang, L., Zhang, J., Liu, Q., Liu, Q., Liu, Y., & Chen, H. (2024) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20541-6 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Euteneuer, F., Neuert, M., Salzmann, S., Fischer, S., Ehlert, U., & Rief, W. (2022) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291722000447 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Creaven, A., Higgins, N. M., Ginty, A. T., & Gallagher, S. M. (2020) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107921 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-esteem's impacts on intimacy-building: Pathways through self-disclosure and responsiveness
Forest, A. L., Sigler, K. N., Bain, K. S., O’Brien, E. R., & Wood, J. V. (2023) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101596 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Euteneuer, F., Neuert, M., Salzmann, S., Fischer, S., Ehlert, U., & Rief, W. (2022) · Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) · doi:10.5167/uzh-218437 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Al‐Hakeim, H. K., Najm, A. H., Moustafa, S. R., & Maes, M. H. J. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.089 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Wang, H., Stokes, J. E., & Burr, J. A. (2020) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/gnaa219 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Ferrajão, P. C., & Elklit, A. (2021) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105271 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Everyday co-presence with a romantic partner is associated with lower C-reactive protein
Jolink, T. A., Way, B. M., Younge, A. N., Oveis, C., & Algoe, S. B. (2022) · Brain Behavior and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2022.09.007 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationKRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.001.0001 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Putra, I. G. N. E., Daly, M., Sutin, A. R., Steptoe, A., & Robinson, E. (2023) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/hea0001284 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Tabaraii, R., Masoumi, M., Bagherzadeh-Fard, M., Yazdanifar, M. A., Balasi, J., & Smiley, A. (2021) · BMC Rheumatology · doi:10.1186/s41927-021-00227-x · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Kuang, B., Ng, S. H., Peng, S., Hu, P., & Wei, Y. (2024) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs14020088 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Changes in Purpose in Life and Low-Grade Chronic Inflammation Across Older Adulthood
Giannis, I., Wrosch, C., Herriot, H., & Gouin, J. (2023) · The International Journal of Aging and Human Development · doi:10.1177/00914150231196098 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Wellington, O. A., Aina-Pelemo, A. D., & Odunubi, O. (2023) · Multidisciplinary Journal of Gender Studies · doi:10.17583/generos.9609 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Leshem, B., Kashy‐Rosenbaum, G., Schiff, M., Benbenishty, R., & Pat‐Horenczyk, R. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20042799 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Shin, J. S., Jung, S., Won, G. H., Lee, S. H., Kim, J., Jung, S., Yeom, C., Lee, K., Son, K., Kim, J., et al. (2025) · Psychiatry Investigation · doi:10.30773/pi.2024.0336 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
ÖNAL, B., Ateş, T., Öztürk, H., & Çolak, Z. (2022) · Gümüşhane Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi · doi:10.37989/gumussagbil.887417 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Generating Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) in the Accommodation Sector
Marincean, L., Csorba, L. M., Obadă, D.-R., & Dabija, D. (2025) · Journal of theoretical and applied electronic commerce research · doi:10.3390/jtaer20040328 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Religious and Spiritual Identities
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0003 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Mu, X.-Y., Zhao, M.-J., Ma, T., Xu, J., Shi, Y. Y., Li, S., & Su, Q. (2022) · PubMed Central · doi:10.12182/20220960507 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0007
Forgiving Others and Compassion
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0006
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0008
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0005
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0009
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0010
Exploring Communities of Faith
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0004
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0001
KRAUSE, N. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.003.0002
KRAUSE, N. M. (2022) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.002.0004
The Religion, Aging, and Health Survey and the Landmark Spirituality and Health Survey
KRAUSE, N. M. (2022) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.005.0001
KRAUSE, N. M. (2022) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197587652.002.0003
Mauludi, M. I., & Fasikhah, S. S. (2024) · Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi Terapan · doi:10.22219/jipt.v12i2.31039
Wang, S., & Fang, J. (2025) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.120879
Zhu, Z., Shao, Y., Wang, J. J., Hu, Z., Bai, C., Yang, Y., Xu, X., Wang, Y., Han, L. L., Liu, L., et al. (2025) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-025-26043-3 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Nasire, R., Nasir, A., Foster, D., Puca, D., Charles, K., & Richman, M. J. (2026) · medRxiv · doi:10.64898/2026.02.28.26347084
- Authors
- Lee, D. S., & Way, B. M.
- Venue
- Health Psychology
- Published
- 2019-06
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 563-566
- ISSN
- 0278-6133 (ISSN-L)
- 1930-7810
- OpenAlex
- W2938648948
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 7.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Health and Well-being Studies
- Keywords
- perceived social support, self-esteem, chronic inflammation, C-reactive protein, moderation, middle-aged adults, health behavior
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Chronic Disease, Female, Humans, Inflammation, Male, Middle Aged, Self Concept, Social Support, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
