Abstract
The literature on friendship suggests that social support can buffer the adverse effects of various stressors on a person's well-being, but that there are adverse effects in the receipt of support. The present study investigated whether or not kindergarten principals in Hong Kong have developed a close friendship relation with others, the way they interact with their close friends, the extent to which supportive exchanges are made, the degree to which the support received can buffer the negative impact of stress, and the adverse effects of receipt of support. A questionnaire measuring the pertinent variables was sent to 200 randomly chosen kindergarten principals in Hong Kong. 124 returned the questionnaire. The results showed that most of the principals (92%) have developed a close relationship with a particular person. The principals met with their close friend fairly infrequently, did so mainly on weekday evenings or weekend, usually in a restaurant, and talked mainly about school matters. The results also showed that social support buffered stress but carried negative impacts also. The implications are discussed.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - Mar 1999 |
| Event | The 4th OMEP(Hong Kong) International Conference: Quality Early Childhood Education: The Right of Every Child - The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, China Duration: 01 Mar 1999 → 31 Mar 1999 |
Conference
| Conference | The 4th OMEP(Hong Kong) International Conference: Quality Early Childhood Education: The Right of Every Child |
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| Country/Territory | China |
| City | Hong Kong |
| Period | 01/03/99 → 31/03/99 |