The Measurement of Reciprocity in Ego-centered Networks of Personal Relationships: A Comparison of Various Indices." Social Psychology Quarterly

This article deals with the reciprocity of social support in personal relationships and with its connection to well-being, particularly loneliness. After reviewing briefly the concept of reciprocity, w'e develop four methods for constructing indices of the reciprocity of social support based on data on ego-centered networks of personal relationships. The four indices showed that on the average, the respondents ' relationship networks were strongly reciprocal. The results did not make it unequivocally clear whether overbenefiting (versus underbenefitingj and loneliness were linked via a U-shaped association, as suggested by the literature, or via a linear or inverse U-shaped association. The use of more specific indices is recommended for a more extensive investigation of the association between reciprocity and loneliness. The support that people receive from their personal relationships is an important factor in their well-being. There are several reasons, however, to believe that not only the extent to which people receive support is important