Family and community support among older Chilean adults: the importance of heterogeneous social support sources for quality of life |
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Authors: | Lorena P. Gallardo-Peralta Ana Barrón López de Roda M. Ángeles Molina- Martínez Rocío Schettini del Moral |
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Affiliation: | 1. School of Social Work, University of Tarapacá, Arica, Chile;2. Department of Social Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain;3. Faculty of Health Sciences, University Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain |
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Abstract: | Family and community social networks act as social resources that promote well-being at advanced ages. In this study, we analyze the association between social support received from personal social networks (social support from various family members and friends) and community social networks (social support from neighbors and the neighborhood, age, ethnic, or religious group peers and formal social support networks) and quality of life (QoL) for a sample of older Chilean persons (n = 777). The results confirm that social support from family (partner, children, and extended family) and friends, integration in the community (neighbors) and social support from informal systems (social groups) are associated with QoL. Moreover, the model including both types of support explains 25.8% of variance in QoL. The results and their possible implications are discussed. |
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Keywords: | Quality of life personal social networks community social networks older Chilean adults |
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