AbstractFifty‐six newly separated, volunteer participants (40 women, 16 men) were examined to determine if depressive symptomatology (as measured by the CES‐D) was related to the respondent's active participation in the decision to separate from the spouse (initiator status) and the proportion of family members in their social support network. The relationship between initiator status and depressive symptomatology was marginally significant,F(l, 50) = 3.93,p= 0.053. There was an interaction between initiator status and the proportion of family members in the social network. For initiators, a low proportion of family members was related to increased depressive symptomatology (r= 0.15), whereas for noninitiators, a low proportion of family members was related to increased depressive symptomatology (r= ‐ 0.37), a difference significant atp<.04. It is suggested that the functional ability of the network to be supportive is mediated both by aspects of the individual in need of support and by structural aspects of the ne