Distinguishing low levels of social support and social strain: implications for dual diagnosis.

Low social support is known to be a risk factor for mental illness in the general population. Social strain, or stressful social interaction, has also been shown to correlate highly with psychopathology but has been largely ignored for individuals with mental retardation. Results based on staff ratings of 104 adults with mental retardation are presented, highlighting the relationship among support, social strain, and psychopathology. Data suggest that social strain is more strongly associated with psychopathology than are overall low levels of social support for individuals with mental retardation.