Kazak and Wilcox (1984) found that social networks of these parents were denser than comparison families’ networks and that this higher network density was associated with higher levels of maternal stress. Perceived availability of support, in particular, has been found to buffer the effect of stress on psychological and physical health problems (Garwick et al. 1998). Some researchers argue that there are different mechanisms or processes behind the mediating and moderating effects of social support (Thoits 1985, Heller et al. 1986). While these arguments merit careful attention to definitions of social support conceptually and methodologically, evidence suggests that the causal relation between social support and health (well-being) and the processes or mechanisms underlying both have remained ambiguous. One of the reasons for confusion about the mechanisms linking stressors, sources of support, and outcomes has been a lack of contextual specificity (Coyne & DeLongis 1986, Heller et al. 1986,