Strategies for Measuring and Promoting Mothers' Social Support Networks

ABSTRACT

This chapter recommends respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and peer-driven intervention (PDI) as new strategies for improving safe motherhood and women's health in countries where women have limited access to information and communication technology. Strategies for measuring and promoting mothers' social support networks could be applied to enrich communication about reproductive health and safe motherhood, especially in countries where women's low social status leads to child marriage, low educational attainment/illiteracy, and limited access to modern information and communication technology. By using RDS to study communities and social network structures, outreach workers can educate women via women's social support groups, enhancing and broadening the use of modern information and communication technologies. RDS is a strategy that allows researchers to identify and focus on distinct groups within a community. PDI uses a two-step intervention where respondents are educated by outreach workers and previous participants (members of social support groups). Limitations of these approaches are also discussed.     

Social Support and Loss During Adolescence

Abstract

This article describes perceived differences in social support between adolescent boys and girls who have experienced the death of a friend or relative in the last year. The article also evaluates the relative contribution of five sources of social support on adolescent girls' and boys' reports of their self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and disruptive school behavior. Boys and girls do report different levels of social support from different sources. However, the results suggest that the sources of support needed to maintain mental health and school functioning in the face of a loss are the same for boys and girls.     

Positive Social Support,Negative Social Exchanges,and Suicidal Behavior in College Students

Abstract

Objective: Risk for suicide is often higher among college students, compared to same-age noncollegiate peers, and may be exacerbated by quality of social support and interactions. The authors examined the independent contributions of positive social support and negative social exchanges to suicide ideation and attempts in college students. Participants: Participants were 439 volunteer undergraduate students, who were primarily female (71%). Methods: Cross-sectional, survey design. Participants completed measures assessing positive social support, including emotional, informational, and tangible support; negative social exchanges; and suicidal behavior, including ideation and attempts. Results: Positive social support, particularly tangible support, and negative social exchanges were significantly predictive of greater suicidal behavior. Conclusions: Practical manifestations of support may buffer against suicide risk for college students, whereas conflict-based interactions may contribute to increased risk. At the institutional, parental, and peer levels, promotion of supportive relationships may be an important suicide prevention strategy.     

Social Support and Depression Among Low Income Elderly

Abstract

Demographic, functional and social characteristics of residents living in a low-income senior housing complex are explored. These variables and perceptions of social support were analyzed for their effects on depression. The strongest predictor of depression was perceptions of social support. The findings are consistent with the research which shows that support through family and friends is important to consider when older adults experience health problems that lead to functional disability.     

Dynamics of Social Support

Abstract

This study challenged the current conceptualization of social support as a static process and attempted to explore how the sources and types of social support unfolded over time during mainland Chinese immigrant women's first year of resettlement in Hong Kong. A longitudinal qualitative method was used and 15 immigrant women were recruited. In-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide were conducted at three-monthly intervals. Results supported our view on the “stages within stage” assumption of the resettlement period of the migration-integration process. In the first quarter of resettlement, immigrant women mobilized a great deal of instrumental and information support from family members and kin to resolve survival issues such as finances, housing and childcare. However, the demand for instrumental support declined over time, and the need for emotional support appeared to peak at the second stage of the resettlement period. Fellow immigrant women were found to be the most significant providers of information, emotional and social companionship support to immigrant women throughout the resettlement period while the supporting roles of husbands and kin diminished. Lastly, immigrant women were less inclined to seek help from formal networks and rarely sought support from neighbors and co-workers. Socio-economic and cultural reasons were used to explain these differential support patterns during immigrants' first year of resettlement in Hong Kong, and implications for social work practices were discussed.     

An Online Stress Management Support Group for Social Workers

SUMMARY

This article describes the use of a listserv to make a contribution to that sector of the human service profession which struggles with burnout. The author develops, conducts and evaluates an online support group for social workers.     

Social Support and Health Among Senior Internet Users: Results of an Online Survey

ABSTRACT

There is some disagreement as to whether the Internet has a positive or negative impact on social connection and well-being for older adults. Using an online survey, we assessed self-reported social support, health, and Internet use patterns among users over fifty years of age. In a comparison of highly social Internet users versus low-social users, we found that high-social users spent more time on-line and reported more physical and mental health problems. However, the groups did not differ in amount of or satisfaction with social support they received. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Gender,Marital Status and Social Support

Abstract

While many studies have examined the separate effects of gender and marital status on patterns of perceived social support, none have examined the simultaneous effects of these two variables while controlling for other relevant variables in a large, random sample. This paper responds to this lacuna by investigating the relationships among these variables for six specific types of problems that may elicit social support from others. Using data drawn from a representative sample of the United States population, results indicate that the perception of sources of social support is primarily shaped by differences in marital status as opposed to gender. However, gender is influential in some situations. While it is not significantly related to the perception of emotional support, gender is significantly related to the perception of instrumental support. (Women manifest a tendency to consider both spouse / partner and relatives as sources of instrumental support more than men, while men rely on friends as sources of instrumental support.) The suggestion that gender may find expression within categories of marital status is supported by findings indicating that, within each of the marital status categories, when men turn to relatives and / or friends for help they tend to be male and when women turn to relatives and / or friends for help they tend to be female. Suggestions for future research are offered.     

Depressive Symptoms,Stress, and Social Support Among Dental Students at a Historically Black College and University

Objective: The authors measured the prevalence of depressive symptoms among dental students at a historically black college in the United States to determine how depressive symptoms, stress, and social support influence each other within this student population. Participants: Dental students (n = 143) completed a self-administered survey to assess depressive symptoms, stress, and social support, using validated and reliable instruments. Participants also reported demographic variables. Methods: The authors used multivariable linear regression controlling for potential confounding. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 16.7%. There were significantly higher levels of stress for students with depressive symptoms compared with those without such symptoms (p < .01), and students with depressive symptoms had significantly lower levels of social support (p < .01). Results show higher levels of depressive symptomatology to be related to decreased social support at both high and low stress levels (p < .01). Conclusions: Stress and social support are associated with depressive symptoms among dental students.     

Assessing Public Support for State Government Social Welfare Expenditures

Abstract

This study compared two different approaches to assessing the level of public support for social welfare spending at the state government level. The first approach focuses on the degree to which the public supports state government's involvement in public welfare spending. The second approach identifies the importance the public places on social welfare spending when compared to other possible functions of state government. Using Alabama data, the paper examined changes in general and comparative public support for state budget expenditures from 1980 to 2000 in Alabama. In addition, we examined the effectiveness of sociodemographic and attitudinal characteristics of respondents as predictors of both general and comparative support for three social welfare functions of state government. Support for “benefits for poor people” grew both generally and comparatively in the 20-year period; support for programs for older people remained steady; and support for mental health services declined. Sociodemographic predictors of general and comparative sup port were generally consistent with a self-interest model     

The Use of Online Social Support by Foster Families

ABSTRACT

The extent to which foster families utilize social support on the Internet is examined in a sample of 34 foster families in a digital divide intervention program and a comparison sample of 30 foster families who were not part of the program. In spite of increased Internet access, the frequency of using online social support is low. A minority of parents and children increased their use of the Internet to give and receive help, communicate with other foster families and e-mail with their foster care worker. More than half of foster youth have used the Internet to stay in touch with friends and relatives and have “made a new friend” over the Internet. Implications for child welfare practice and for further research are discussed.     

Applying Group Support Systems in Social Work Education and Practice

SUMMARY

This article describes an electronic tool or process called Meeting Works?, which supports and arguably improves human service staff meetings. Meeting Works? has been shown to be effective with action planning, focus groups, project planning, quality initiatives, and a number of other activities associated with the human services.     

Validation of the Postpartum Social Support Questionnaire in low-income,African American women

ABSTRACT

This study applied a previously developed Postpartum Social Support Questionnaire to low-income, African American women. The 33-question survey was administered to 95 African American women between 4- and 8-weeks postpartum. The survey was readministered 2 weeks later. All women were of low socioeconomic status based on their qualification for public insurance. The questionnaire addresses subscales of partner, parent, in-law, and other friend/relative support. Responses were used to evaluate internal reliability of each subscale, test–retest correlation, and factor loading. Results were compared between women with and without a positive postpartum depression screen. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for each subscale ranged from .90 to .96. Test-retest correlation coefficients ranged from .72 to .87. Exploratory factor analysis with orthogonal varimax rotation was consistent with previously studied samples. Those women with positive postpartum depression screens had significantly lower social support scores (M = 122, SD = 36) than women with negative postpartum depression screens (M = 149, SD = 38), t(79) = ?2.62, p = .01. The Postpartum Social Support Questionnaire is a useful assessment in low-income, African American mothers.     

Internet-Based Clinical Services: Virtual Support Groups for Family Caregivers

ABSTRACT

Objectives: An internet-based psychotherapeutic support group intervention for family caregivers of persons with neurodegenerative diseases was developed in a series of pilot studies and subsequently evaluated in a feasibility study with 34 participants. The aim was to duplicate online group interactions typical of face-to-face support groups. Methods: A user-friendly web site was developed according to usability criteria for older adult users. Unique features of the web site included video conferencing in two formats, one-on-one and a group format with up to 6 participants and a facilitator. Following ten professionally facilitated sessions, each group evolved into a web-based self-help support group facilitated online by a group member. Results: Qualitative analyses of early, middle and late group video conferencing sessions yielded themes congruent with face-to-face group process. Follow up interviews six months following the initiation of the online groups showed overall positive participant responses in each of the following areas: learning to use computers, negotiating the web site links, obtaining disease-specific information from the website, using technology to communicate, bonding with group members, providing mutual guidance and support, and benefiting in terms of coping with the stresses of caregiving.     

Social Support,Coming Out,and Adjustment of Lesbian Mothers in Canada and France

SUMMARY

This study examined the factors associated with individual and relationship well-being, social support, and coming-out of lesbian mothers. We stipulated the existence of three important sources of variations: legal recognition of lesbian families in two distinct countries (Canada and France); mothers' biological status; and donor identity. Sixty-one Canadian couples and 53 French couples completed questionnaires on coming-out, support by family and friends, relationship adjustment and individual well-being. Coming-out and mothers' relationship adjustment were positively associated with social support. Levels of coming-out were higher for mothers in Canada and mothers in unknown donor families. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Peer Support Among Consumers of Professional Mental Health Services

ABSTRACT

Peer-support services have become increasingly prevalent in mental health; consumers now deliver many services once provided by professional mental health providers. Recognizing this key asset in mental health consumers' service environment is critical for social workers. This exploratory study examines differences among 311 consumers of professional mental health services, half of whom also used peer-support services. The two groups (peer support compared with non-peer-support) were compared on a number of dimensions related to their utilization of and satisfaction with professional mental health services. Users of peer-support services perceived greater availability of professional services and used more professional services, but found professional services to be less useful than those not participating in peer support. No differences between the two groups were found for overall satisfaction with professional services. Findings related to policy, practice, and research are discussed.     

An Evaluation of Divorce Support Groups

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate support groups among divorced people. Eleven females and seven males participated in three groups. The participants were interviewed, and some themes were considered. Among these were what it had meant for the subjects to participate in a group, what were the most important functions of the group, and if the participants had benefited psychologically from participating in the group. Four therapeutic factors seemed to be of particular importance. First, meeting people with the same thoughts and feelings, and increased insight of themselves and others. Further, feeling accepted and supported, and expressing difficult feelings were important factors. Group participation increased the subjects' well-being, for example, they felt more normal and less depressed.     

Availability of Caregiver Support Services

Abstract

This study examines the scope and range of existing resources for family caregivers from the perspective of the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), which are charged with implementing Title III-E of the reauthorized Older Americans Act. California is used as a case example because of its substantial experience in providing caregiver support services. In particular, we examine the extent and adequacy of resources available in California corresponding to each of the five Title III-E service areas, utilizing data from AAA Area Plans, a follow-up survey of AAAs, and an Internet search. AAAs identified more than 276 providers of caregiver support services, and our Internet search identified another 195. Nearly two-thirds of these programs offer access to respite care, while other support services (e.g., counseling, training, support groups) are less often available. Service gaps most frequently identified included culturally and linguistically appropriate caregiver services, transportation, respite care, financial assistance, and services in rural areas. These findings suggest the need for enhanced efforts to improve the service network for supporting family caregivers, as states implement the National Family Caregiver Support Program.     

What Social Workers Need to Know About the Right to Vote

Abstract

Policy advocates and social workers who provide services to low-income and other marginalized populations must be involved in helping members of these groups develop political power. Lobbying for progressive policy reforms is difficult unless members of historically oppressed groups can actually cast votes that will be counted. This paper examines barriers to full participation in the voting process and describes strategies that can be used to link disenfranchised groups to the electoral process. These strategies include involvement in voter registration, voter education, the mobilization of prospective voters, and support for legislation that improves access to the voting booth.     

Importance of Self-Forgiveness and Social Support in Potentially Reducing Loneliness in Men Who Have Sex with Men

Abstract

Higher levels of loneliness in men who have sex with men (MSM) are associated with negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and sexual impulsivity. By identifying what may reduce loneliness in MSM, counselors and public health professionals can alleviate the distress of their clients. A significant hierarchical multiple regression controlling for relationship status, F(9, 105)?=?16.36, p?<?0.001, R² = .62, indicated that higher levels of self-forgiveness (β?=??.19, p?=?.04) and perceived social support (β?=??.49, p?<?.001) predicted lower levels of loneliness in MSM. Implications and limitations are discussed.