Table 3

Summary of findings for the association between social support and depression

	Ang and Malhotra36	Chan and Zeng53	Chan and Zeng54	Chi and Chou42	Gong et al 51	Lee et al 57	Leung et al 39	Li et al 43	Li et al 58	Ng et al 40	Piboon et al 55	Shin et al 41	Suttajit et al 52	Tiedt48	Tsai et al 50	Tsuboi44	Wang et al 47	Wee et al 59	Yoo et al 45	Chao49	Chen et al 46	Chou and Chi37	Hashimoto et al 56	Koizumi et al 38
Structural
Marital status				+				+						–		+	+
Living arrangement		0	0	0	–					+/–			–	+				0		+	+	0
Size of network		0	0	+/–											+			0		+	0	0
Composition				–																+/–
Sources of social support					+								+		–	0	+/–				0	+/–	0
Frequency of social contact		0	0	+						+			-		0		0	0		+	0	0
Children nearby								-
Functional
Type of support	+			+/–			+				0	-		+	+	+/–	0		0	+		0	0	+/–
Confidant		0	0													+	+	+			+
Satisfaction				+					0		0		+		–					+
Overall social support	+/–	+	+			+			+	+	+	+						+	+/–				+
Perceived/received	R	P	P	P		R	P		P		P	P			P	R	P		R		P	P		P

‘0’=not reported; ‘+’=significant; ‘–’ =not significant; ‘P’=perceived; ‘R’=received.