This volume is intended as a guide for doing social support research, as a compendium of . . . work in this field, and as a source of information on the implications of existing work for social policy. . . . We focus on nonprofessional (informal) social support provided by friends, relatives, and acquaintances.This book is of special interest to the large interdisciplinary group of research professionals concerned with the role of psychosocial factors in both physical and mental health. It is also of special interest to practitioners involved in the increasing number of programs designed to support or establish natural helping networks.