Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Healthy Lifestyles: How A Community-Based Intervention Is Helping Low-Income Patients Battle Chronic Disease, Gina Baik

Gina Baik

Functional Impairment, Illness Burden, And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults: Does Type Of Social Relationship Matter?, Joshua P. Hatfield, Jameson K. Hirsch, Jeffrey M. Lyness

Jameson K. Hirsch

Objective: The nature of interpersonal relationships, whether supportive or critical, may affect the association between health status and mental health outcomes. We examined the potential moderating effects of social support, as a buffer, and family criticism, as an exacerbating factor, on the association between illness burden, functional impairment and depressive symptoms.

Methods: Our sample of 735 older adults, 65 years and older, was recruited from internal and family medicine primary care offices. Trained interviewers administered the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Duke Social Support Inventory, and Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale. Physician-rated assessments of health, including the Karnofsky Performance …

Investigating The Relationship Between Social Support And Durable Return To Work, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah Doley, Sabrina Ong, Richard Hicks, Katarina Fritzon, Tony Cacciola

Katarina Fritzon

The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between social support and durable return to work (RTW) post occupational injury. A total of 1,179 questionnaires were posted to clients previously receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the Return to Work Assist program in Queensland, Australia. Participants were asked to indicate their current RTW status, in addition to completing questionnaires measuring their relationship with their superior, relationships with colleagues, and social support external to the workplace. The statistical analysis included 110 participants. An ANOVA indicated that participants in the RTW group reported significantly better relationships with their superiors and …

Investigating The Relationship Between Social Support And Durable Return To Work, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah Doley, Sabrina Ong, Richard Hicks, Katarina Fritzon, Tony Cacciola

Rebekah Doley

The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between social support and durable return to work (RTW) post occupational injury. A total of 1,179 questionnaires were posted to clients previously receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the Return to Work Assist program in Queensland, Australia. Participants were asked to indicate their current RTW status, in addition to completing questionnaires measuring their relationship with their superior, relationships with colleagues, and social support external to the workplace. The statistical analysis included 110 participants. An ANOVA indicated that participants in the RTW group reported significantly better relationships with their superiors and …

Investigating The Relationship Between Social Support And Durable Return To Work, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah Doley, Sabrina Ong, Richard Hicks, Katarina Fritzon, Tony Cacciola

Bruce Watt

The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between social support and durable return to work (RTW) post occupational injury. A total of 1,179 questionnaires were posted to clients previously receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the Return to Work Assist program in Queensland, Australia. Participants were asked to indicate their current RTW status, in addition to completing questionnaires measuring their relationship with their superior, relationships with colleagues, and social support external to the workplace. The statistical analysis included 110 participants. An ANOVA indicated that participants in the RTW group reported significantly better relationships with their superiors and …

Development & Maintenance Of Social Support Among Aged Out Foster Youth Who Received Independent Living Services: Results From The Multi-Site Evaluation Of Foster Youth Programs, Johanna K.P. Greeson, Antonio R. Garcia, Minseop Kim, Allison E. Thompson, Mark E. Courtney

Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP

This study uses secondary data from the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs, a randomized controlled trial of four independent living programs for youth in foster care. The subject of this investigation is the Life Skills Training Program (LST) of Los Angeles County, CA.We had three interrelated aims: (1) Evaluate the effectiveness of the LST program as compared to services as usual on the change in social support over time; (2) Examine the differences over time in social support by race and ethnicity among LST participants; and (3) Investigate the explanatory value of prosocial activities, educational involvement, current living arrangement, …

Sense Of Belonging In The Urban School Environments Of Aboriginal Youth, Chantelle Am Richmond, Dawn Smith, * The Wabano Centre For Aboriginal Health

Chantelle Richmond

It is well established that educational attainment and social support are critical social determinants of health among Aboriginal Canadians. Still, the gap in educational attainment with non-Aboriginal Canadians continues to grow, and little is known about the role of social support as a health determinant among Aboriginal youth. In collaboration with The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health (Ottawa, Canada), we undertook focus groups with urban Aboriginal youth at-risk to examine perceptions of their urban school environments, including access to social support. Data were analyzed using a general inductive approach. Results indicate that youths’ perceived level of trust is key to …

Cognitive, Affective And Social Processes Involved In Help-Negation After Critical Suicidal Thoughts, Coralie Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Help-negation is defined as the process of help withdrawal or avoidance found among those currently experiencing clinical and subclinical levels of different forms of psychological distress, including low and critical levels of suicidal ideation (Wilson, Bushnell, Caputi, 2011). Understanding the determinants of help-negation in suicidal samples that have not yet come to treatment provides a potent opportunity to target prevention and early intervention strategies to facilitate appropriate and timely help-seeking. Over 20 help-negation studies have ruled out variables that might explain the withdrawal process associated with suicidal thoughts. These results now point to biological and neurological underpinnings working together with …

Preventing Help-Negation For Suicidal Ideation: Implications For Social Network Size And Frequency Of Social Interaction, Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Help-negation is seen when the severity of an individual’s suicidal ideation increases and they become less likely to seek help as a result of their condition. Research has implicated distorted affect regulation and perceptual processes related to social support in the development of help-negation among suicidal individuals (Wilson et al., 2013). Future research needs to focus on psycho-social factors that can be linked to neurological processes that differentiate suicidal individuals from controls and are directly implicated in the help-negation processes associated with suicidal ideation. As suicidal individuals have interpersonal needs rejected they may cease to seek or accept help. The …

The Sociophysiology Of Caring In The Doctor-Patient Relationship, Herbert M. Adler

Herbert M. Adler

The emotional investment required to construct a caring doctor-patient relationship can be justified on humane grounds. Can it also be justified as a direct physiologic intervention? Two lines of evidence point in this direction. People in an empathic relationship exhibit a correlation of indicators of autonomic activity. This occurs between speakers and responsive listeners, members of a coherent group, and bonded pairs of higher social animals. Furthermore, the experience of feeling cared about in a relationship reduces the secretion of stress hormones and shifts the neuroendocrine system toward homeostasis. Because the social engagement of emotions is simultaneously the social engagement …

Sudanese And Somali Refugees In Canada: Social Support Needs And Preferences, Edward Makawrimba, Miriam Stewart, Laura Simich, Knox Makumbe, Edward Shizha, Sharon Anderson

Edward Shizha

The aim of the study was to identify the unique support needs and preferences of African refugees in Canada. In-depth interviews were conducted with Sudanese and Somali refugees (n=68) living in two cities in central and western Canada. Refugees were interviewed individually to identify their support needs, current sources of support, available support programmes, barriers to access to support resources, and preferred support interventions. These refugees reported major support needs, depleted social networks, and barriers to accessing services and supports. They identified distinct preferences for support from peers from the same country of origin and professionals. Participants wanted group-level support …

Healthy, Wealthy, Wise? Psychosocial Factors Influencing The Socioeconomic Status–Health Gradient, Kymberlee M. O'Brien

Kymberlee M. O'Brien

The present research investigated psychosocial factors: control beliefs; social relations moderating the SES–health gradient. Participants included 3775 respondents from a national probability sample, Midlife in United States (t1: Age, M = 46.40, SD = 13.00, t2: Age, M = 55.47, SD = 12.43), who provided reports on control beliefs, social relations, and health at two assessment occasions (1994/1995 and 2002/2003). Hierarchical regression demonstrated that control beliefs, social support, and strain uniquely moderated relationships between SES and longitudinal health. The present study highlights the importance of psychosocial factors as protective mechanisms of socioeconomic disadvantages and associated long-term deleterious health outcomes.

Social Support And Self-Concept In Relation To Peer Victimization And Peer Aggression, Lyndsay N. Jenkins, Michelle Kilpatrick Demaray

Lyndsay N. Jenkins

Peer victimization is an enduring problem in schools (Wang, Iannotti, & Nansel, 2009). The current study focused on relations among two ecological variables that may be related to involvement in peer victimization: self-concept and social support. The main goal of this study was to investigate relations among social support, self-concept, and involvement in peer victimization (both as a victim and aggressor). The sample included 251 students in Grades 3–5. There was a significant negative relation between social support and peer victimization (β = –.22, p < .05) as well as a significant, negative relation between self-concept and peer victimization (β = –.24, p < .05). For peer aggression, there was a significant negative relation between social support and peer aggression (β = –.49, p < .001) as well as a significant, positive relation between self-concept and peer aggression (β = .23, p < .05).

The Role Of ‘Workplace Family’ Support On Worker Health, Exhaustion And Pain, Linda A. Treiber, Shannon N. Davis

Linda A. Treiber

The Role Of Social Support In Multiple Morbidity Self-Management Among Rural Residents, Shoshana Bardach, Yelena N. Tarasenko, Nancy E. Schoenberg

Yelena N. Tarasenko

Social support generally is considered a valuable asset that may compensate for health service deficiencies among rural populations. Employing a mixed methods approach, we explored how vulnerable rural residents described social support in the context of self-management for multiple chronic conditions. Participants generally felt support was available, though emotional/ informational support was perceived as less available than other types of support. Participants did not rely heavily on informal support to help them manage their multiple morbidities, preferring to call on their doctor and their own resources. We discuss implications of these findings for meeting this vulnerable population’s self-management needs.

Type, Content, And Source Of Social Support Perceived By Women During Pregnancy: Evidence From Matlab, Bangladesh, Joyce K. Edmonds, Moni Paul, Lynn M. Sibley

Joyce K. Edmonds

Specific and contextualized data on social support during distinct health events are needed to improve social support interventions. This study identified the type, content, and source of social support perceived by women during pregnancy. In-depth interviews with 25 women, aged 18-49 years, living in Matlab, Bangladesh, were conducted. The findings demonstrated that women perceived, the receipt of eight distinct types of support. The four most frequently-mentioned types included: practical help with routine activities, information/advice, emotional support and assurance, as well as the provision of resources and material goods. Sources varied by type of support and most frequently included--mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, …

Impacts Of A Social Support Intervention For Somali And Sudanese Refugees In Canada, Miriam Stewart, Laura Simich, Morton Beiser, Knox Makumbe, Edward Makwarimba, Edward Shizha

Edward Shizha

The aim of this paper is to design and pilot test a culturally tailored intervention that meets the support needs and preferences of two refugee groups. The study employed a multi-method participatory research design and was conducted in two urban centres in western and central Canada. Support was delivered to Sudanese and Somali refugees (n = 58), by trained peer and professional helpers, in face-to-face groups matched by gender and ethnicity and in telephone dyads. Participants completed three quantitative measures before (pre-test) and following (post-test) the intervention. Group interviews with refugee participants and individual interviews with peer and professional helpers …

Utilizing Social Support To Conserve The Fighting Strength: Important Considerations For Military Social Workers, J. Camille Hall

J. Camille Hall, PhD., LCSW

This article is a continuation of a conference panel dialogue that focused on providing individualized, culturally responsible treatment of secondary traumatic stress (STS) for military social workers. Key aspects of the roles and responsibilities, professional and ethical challenges of military social workers and social work officers serve as focal points for understanding the importance of social support. This article discusses ways social support might help to moderate the impact of STS. The ‘‘buddy system’’ describes a culturally unique protective factor, which is a well-known and effective type of social support utilized throughout the military. This article provides valuable information on …

An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Kinship Ties In Promoting Resilience Among African American Adult Children Of Alcoholics, J. Camille Hall

J. Camille Hall, PhD., LCSW

This study utilized a multi-method design that integrated both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study sought to identify differences in kinship social support, self-esteem, and coping responses between African American college students who identify themselves as adult children of alcoholic parents (ACOAs) and adult children of on alcoholic parents (non-ACOAs) at two separate universities. The results indicate that ACOAs utilized more effective coping responses than non-ACOAs and there were no differences in levels of self-esteem and kinship social support. Personal constructs of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs)’ coping responses while living with an alcoholic parent and/or caregiver were investigated using …

School Milieu Characteristics And Disordered Eating In High School Graduates, Ruth H. Striegel-Moore, Patricia A. Connor-Greene, Sandra Shime

Ruth Striegel Weissman