Association Between Depression and Family, Romantic, and Peer Support in Adults

Low levels of social support in relationships are an important indicator of the risk of the development of depression in adulthood. This study investigated how family, friends, and romantic relationships affected the prevalence of depressive symptoms. This study tested the hypothesis that family relationships would not have significant effect on depression when the effect of romantic relationships and friendships are controlled. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses of responses from participants from the Transition Wave II questionnaire revealed that lower support from family relationships and romantic relationships was significantly associated with higher depression scores, while support from friendships was not. When controlling for support from friendships and relationships, romantic relationships had the strongest effect. This suggests that in adulthood, one's romantic relationships are more indicative of depression than friendships or family relationships.