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.     

Social Support: A Key to Positive Parenting Outcomes for Mothers in Residential Drug Treatment with Their Children

SUMMARY

This study explored parenting experiences of ten mothers residing with their young children in four residential drug treatment facilities in New York City and how these experiences related to the perceived support of the social environment of the facility. Through the lenses of the self-in-relations theory and family-centered service model, the study examined the supportive function of the treatment program including the program structure, the staff, and fellow mothers in affecting the mothers' parenting experience and outcomes. Programmatic, policy, and research implications of the study's findings are discussed.     

Social Support During Adjustment to Later-Life Divorce

This study investigated the adult child's role as a provider of social support to divorced parents. Each of the 230 randomly-selected individuals participating in the survey had been divorced after 19 or more years of marriage and had at least one child over age 18. Participants ranged in age from 36 to 72 and had been married an average of 28 years prior to divorce. Respondents were asked to indicate types and amounts of support provided by children in two major areas: instrumental aid (e.g., advice, services, financial assistance) and socioemotional aid. The pattern of support varied according to the sex of the parent and the sex of the child. Mothers received significantly more support than fathers in all four categories: advice, services, financial assistance and socioemotional aid. Sons and daughters did not differ significantly with regard to frequency of providing advice or financial aid. However, sons provided significantly more services, and daughters provided significantly more socioemotional aid. Circumstances connected with filial provision of support-opportunity, parental expectation of aid, parental financial need, parental health and morale, competing role responsibilities of the child, and quality of parent-child relationship-were analyzed. Multiple regression was used to specify the relationship between total support received and seven independent variables: frequency of contact, sex of respondent, emotional closeness, filial expectation, frequency of telephoning, sidetaking behavior, and financial strain. These variables explained 52% of the variance in total support.     

Social Support Expectations and Strategic Ambiguity in Parent–Young Adult Child Divorce-Related Stressor Conversations

With communication privacy management and the divorce disclosure model as guiding frameworks, this study identified the stressors postdivorce families discussed as they mature, elucidated the types of social support parents and young adult children expected regarding divorce-related stress, and tested whether motivational and contextual factors prompted parents' use of strategic ambiguity while discussing stressors. By examining parent–child divorce-related stressor conversations in a controlled lab setting, results indicated that a decade after parental divorce, families continued to manage a variety of stressors. Additionally, parents and young adults had strong expectations for nurturant, informational, and tangible support from one another. Yet, social support expectations did not affect parents' self-reported use of strategic ambiguity nor children's perceptions of parents' communication.     

The Experience of Nonresidential Stepmothers

Despite the growing body of research examining the experience of stepparents, very little is known about the unique experience of nonresidential stepparents. This research examined the experience of nonresidential stepmothers (N = 10) using semistructured interviews. Thematic content analysis identified 2 principal themes. Those themes were perceived control (with the subtheme of visitation and parenting and financial matters) and psychological and physical well-being. The perceived inability to control parenting practices during periods of visitation and financial matters associated with the payment of child support generated a sense of powerlessness, anger, and resentment that manifested in depression. Implications for family service providers and clinicians working with stepfamilies are discussed.     

Family Social Networks and Recovery From Severe Mental Illness of Clubhouse Members

This study examined the contribution of family social network variables to recovery among Clubhouse members. A random sample of 118 members from one Clubhouse was recruited for this cross-sectional study. Among all respondents, greater overall family support and better relationship quality with the most supportive network member were correlated with greater levels of recovery. Clubhouse members perceived higher quantity and quality of support and more criticalness from their most supportive network members, principally family members, compared to the rest of their family members. Longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate the relationship between family support and recovery.     

The Role of Social Support in the Transition From Foster Care to Emerging Adulthood

Many youth leave foster care with disrupted relationships with their family and others in their social networks. Previous research has documented the severe adversity that former foster youth face in the transition to young adulthood. Perhaps some difficulties are at least partially related to a lack of social support that results from frayed relationships. This article reviews the literature on social support, particularly as it relates to foster youth, for the purpose of examining the role that formal and informal supports play in the transition to adulthood. The implications of this literature for successful transitions for former foster youth are discussed, as well as ways child welfare workers can engage youth and their families, and help them develop supportive social networks.     

Evaluation of the Stress Adjustment and Adaptation Model Among Families Reporting Economic Pressure

ABSTRACT

This research evaluates the Stress Adjustment and Adaptation Model (double ABCX model) examining the effects resiliency resources on family functioning when families experience economic pressure. Families (N = 128) with incomes at or below the poverty line from a rural area of a southern state completed measures of perceived economic pressure, family hardiness, social support, and the McMaster Family Assessment device. The family resiliency model was evaluated using regression and two path analyses. Results of the model evaluation indicate that when family resiliency resources are introduced economic pressure is not a significant stressor influencing family functioning. Family resiliency is a key to the healthy functioning of the family unit moderating distress and decreasing the negative effects associated with economic pressure. Implications for social work practice to enhance family resiliency using community and personal supports are discussed.     

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.