THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL VULNERABILITY AND THE OCCURRENCE OF SEVERELY THREATENING LIFE EVENTS

Research on the role of life events in the onset of depression has suggested that certain vulnerability factors can increase the risk of disorder in the face of a threatening event. The role of vulnerability factors to increase the likelihood of severe events occurring in the first place has remained largely unexplored. The vulnerability factor which has received the most attention is a lack of social support, particularly lack of a confiding relationship with a husband for women. A reanalysis of a number of published studies is undertaken; this shows that there is a positive relationship between lack of intimacy and the occurrence of adversity. The implications of this finding are briefly discussed, with emphasis on the need for a life–span developmental perspective in future life events research. © 1990, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.