information leading the person to believe that he or she is

cared about, esteemed and valued, and a part of a network of

mutual communication and obligation.

 According to Berkman and Syme (1979), the research has

 suggested that individuals living in situations characterized

 by poverty and social disorganization as well as those

 undergoing rapid social and cultural change appear to be at

 increased risk of acquiring many diseases, including coronary

 heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer. Other

 investigations have suggested that social support may not

 contribute directly to physical disorder (Wortman, 1984) but

 may have a protective function and serve as a stress-

 buffering or moderating role in health outcomes (Cobb, 1976;

 Lindsey et al., 1981). However, as has been pointed out

 (Murawski, Penman, & Schmitt, 1978), serious measurement and

 conceptual problems exist. Berkman (1983) has pointed out

 that this problem in life events/social support research

 arises because stress and support are not operationally or

 conceptually independent variables. She has asserted that

 "many life changes -- in fact, the ones most consistently

 associated with poor health -- are actually losses or breaks

 in social ties" (Berkman, 1983, p. 748). It has been

 hypothesized (Mueller, 1980) that much of the impact of life

 events may result from the disturbance they introduce into

the individual's social network.