Impact of social support on health status and life satisfaction in people with a spinal cord injury

Abstract

Purpose: Assessment of the impact of received social support on functional health status and life satisfaction in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: Respondents were 176 people with SCI between 18 and 65 years of age and living in the community. Mean time after injury was 3.6 years. Problem-oriented and emotion-oriented support, received from family members, friends and relatives, and professionals were assessed with the Sources of Social Support Inventory. Health status was assessed with the Sickness Impact Profile 68 and life satisfaction with the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. Structural equation modelling with LISREL V8 was used to study relationships of different types and sources of social support with health status and life satisfaction.Results: Emotion-oriented support led to better psychological functioning and to greater life satisfaction. In addition, emotion-oriented support from the family led to greater satisfaction with relationships and emotion-oriented support from friends and acquaintances led to less satisfaction with social life. Problem-oriented support was not clearly related to health status and life satisfaction; there was only a negative relation between problem-oriented support and satisfaction with social life. Support, problem-oriented or emotion-oriented, from health-care professionals showed no relationships with health status or life satisfaction.Conclusions: Emotion-oriented support from family members and friends was most important for people with SCI. Greater problem-oriented support appears to be related to poorer life satisfaction.     

Examining the Effect of Visitor Motivation on Observed Visit Strategies Using Mobile Computer Technologies

ABSTRACT

This article examines the interaction between visitor motivation and in-museum visitor behavior. The authors postulate that, in order to understand this aspect of the dynamics of museum visiting, we need to view the motivations to visit the museum as lists compiled by individual visitors but also as part of wider lists of reasons for visiting that exist in society—which they refer to as cultural itineraries. Self-report methods have been used to capture patterns of motivation that emerge across the data, which in this case were used to examine their relation to visit strategies as manifested by visitor pathways through the London Zoo. Visitor pathways were captured through the novel use of mobile location-sensing technology which offers distinct opportunities in this context that have been unexplored in audience research. The combination of standard research methodology and automated location tracking used in this study allowed us to indentify two distinct visit strategies that directly relate to social groupings with different motivations: (a) groups with an education/participation motivation, who visit exhibits only, and (b) groups with a social event motivation, who spend a considerable amount of time on nonexhibit related activities and socializing with other family members and friends.     

Quality of relationships and structural properties of social support networks of female survivors of abuse

The purposes of this study were to examine the structural properties of the social support networks of female survivors of violence and abuse and to investigate the quality of the relationship, and specific level of satisfaction, survivors have with their social support networks. Participants averaged 5.8 persons in their social support networks. Their levels of satisfaction with the emotional, practical, financial, guidance, and socializing support they received from members of their social support networks were higher with respect to close friends and coworkers than with respect to family members and professionals (e.g., attorneys and social workers). The most common type of support provided by close friends who were themselves victims of abuse was emotional, guidance, and socializing support, and the most satisfying support was the financial and practical help that came from parents or family. An interesting finding was the significant presence of men in the survivors' social support networks. Overall satisfaction with the quality of support from the social support networks was high, and satisfaction with support from men was comparable, if not higher, than support from women. Multiple regression models revealed that satisfaction with support networks was a potent predictor of self-esteem, emotional health, and loneliness. Intimacy, especially in terms of exclusiveness and trust or loyalty, with at least a few members of the support network contributed significantly to the variance in self-esteem, emotional health, and loneliness among the abused women. The size of the support network also emerged as a limited contributor to well-being. Implications and applications are discussed for professionals working with female survivors of abuse.     

Trans,gender diverse and non-binary adult experiences of social support: A systematic quantitative literature review

Abstract

Background: Trans, gender diverse and non-binary (TGDNB) adults experience significant health disparities relative to their cisgender peers. While social support is a known health-protective factor within the general population, no systematic reviews of TGDNB experiences of social support exist.

Aim: To systematically review prior research of social support for TGDNB adults. We sought to assess the defining characteristics of the research, the participants and the research findings, mapping emerging trends across disciplines.

Methods: Six electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, LGBT Life and PsycNet) were searched for literature pertaining to TGDNB adults, social support, and health or well-being published in the past decade.

Results: The findings illustrate a predominance of USA-based quantitative research that measures social support of friends, family and a singular intimate partner. The majority of participants were white, binary-identified transgender women and TGDNB people living in metropolitan settings. Social support was commonly reported as a protective factor, with TGDNB peer support the most frequently reported correlate of health and well-being for TGDNB adults.

Discussion: The results suggest standardized inventories do not capture the emic nature of social support for TGDNB adults. A key opportunity lies in an inductive, hypothesis-forming approach to the study of what is socially supportive for TGDNB adults. In turn, this knowledge will enable the appropriate measurement, implementation and interpretation of social support studies.     

‘So many women suffer in silence’: a thematic analysis of women’s written accounts of coping with endometriosis

Abstract

Objective: To understand women’s experiences of coping with endometriosis, and impact on their lives.

Design: Women accessed an online questionnaire through a U.K.-based endometriosis charity website.

Methods: Thirty-four women, aged 22–56 years, with self-reported medically-diagnosed endometriosis, 30 of whom were White, responded to open-ended questions, analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Participants spoke about their lives being a constant struggle, where they tried to maintain their personal and working lives whilst dealing with long-term pain. Women had to ‘battle’ for an accurate diagnosis, and had limited faith in health professionals. Coping strategies included avoidance of social events to conserve energy (self-pacing), and avoiding taking painkillers to retain alertness. Women did not feel able to be honest with family and friends about their symptoms, and felt socially isolated and misunderstood.

Conclusions: Implications for health professionals are discussed, including the need for earlier diagnosis and taking women’s symptoms more seriously at referral; understanding the need to conserve energy in the context of long-term pain; that not taking pain medication may be an active choice to retain alertness; and that avoiding being honest with friends and family and subsequent feelings of isolation may be common experiences relevant to designing treatment programmes.     

Understanding social networks and social support resources with sports coaches

ObjectivesResearch on social support with sports coaches is limited, yet the benefits of social support within other occupations have been widely reported. This study explored sports coaches’ social network structures, the social support resources available to coaches, and the situations in which coaches use social support.DesignCross-sectional.MethodData were collected with male (n = 6) and female (n = 7) British coaches (M_age = 34.20, SD = 13.37; M_experience = 13.20, SD = 10.41) using semi-structured interviews and interviewee-aided sociograms. Interview data and sociograms were analyzed using abductive thematic analysis and social network analysis to create ego-network diagrams. The ego-network diagrams were created to provide information on the locality and influence of coaches’ social network members.ResultsThe ego-network diagrams highlight that the structure of coaches’ social networks encompasses support from peers, friends, family, and miscellaneous (e.g., media). The diagrams also demonstrate that support from friends tended to be perceived as most influential. The coaches called on their network for appraisal (e.g., affirmation), emotional (e.g., venting), informational (e.g., training), and or instrumental support (e.g., cooking dinner) for a variety of situations, such as training (e.g., drill ideas) and issues with athletes (e.g., venting about a misbehaving player).ConclusionGiven the pertinence of coaches’ social networks and resources for performance and psychological well-being, coach education programs should include a focus on the importance of building relationships. Longitudinal research methods are warranted to, for example, explore the dynamic functions of coaches’ social support. This will develop a more comprehensive base from which interventions can be developed.     

Balance in Life and Declining Marginal Utility of Diverse Resources

Declining marginal utility (DMU) describes the reduced value that additional units of money or consumer goods have in comparison to units acquired earlier. We extend this idea to social resources and activities such as socializing time, free time, and number of children, suggesting that most resources will show DMU as the person experiences more of them. In Study 1, participants reported how many years of adult life they would sacrifice to have increasingly more of each resource or activity. Income showed declining marginal utility, but other goods showed an ideal-level pattern in which they were valued less after an optimal amount. In Phase 2 of Study 1, we assessed the mix of activities people most prefer. Participants rated the desirability of various combinations of time spent in different activities. Spending all of one’s free time in a pleasant activity was not as desirable as spending some of the time in other desirable, but less enjoyable, activities. In Study 2, we used a representative sample of the world to assess people’s affect balance (positive minus negative moods) on the previous day, along with how much time they spent in activities such as socializing with family and friends. The most popular activity was socializing with family and friends, but even here there was DMU for more hours of this behavior. We also analyzed several forms of well-being in reference to household income. Income showed a clear DMU pattern using daily moods as the outcome, as well as for life evaluations and satisfaction with standard of living. The results of the two studies explain why people do not pursue happiness by spending all of their time in the most pleasant activities, such as socializing, but instead choose a mixture of activities. A desire for balance in human activities and resources has important implications for the structure of the workplace, leisure time, work hours, and other important domains of life.     

The experiences of transgender and non-binary children and young people and their parents in healthcare settings in England,UK: Interviews with members of a family support group

Abstract

Background: Transgender and non-binary children and young people and their parents in England, UK are poorly served across a range of healthcare settings. Whilst UK equalities legislation and international guidance on transgender healthcare pathways protects this group from discrimination and mandates an affirmative approach, services in England are not keeping pace.

Aims: This study aims to draw on the experiences of transgender and non-binary children, young people and their parents in a support group in England in order to investigate their experiences of healthcare provision, and to develop some ideas for improvement.

Method: Data was collected with participants in a family support group which offers a parent helpline service, social groups for children and parents, and training for schools and other organizations. 65 parents and children from 27 families from the family support group attended participatory workshops where they were given a range of briefs: “health,” “family,” “friends,” and “education.” Their participation involved being asked to define their own interview questions and collect data by interviewing each other. Their interview notes constituted the raw data. Data was coded inductively by the author with respondent checking as a second stage.

Results: Results constitute the views of a small group of people, so cannot be generalized. However, they do illustrate some of the issues which may arise. Participants’ experiences elicited five key themes: professionals’ perceived lack of clinical and therapeutic knowledge; mental distress caused by excessive waiting lists; professionals’ stereotyped gender assumptions; direct discrimination within healthcare settings; and a lack of attention to parent and child voice, especially in terms of school-based experiences and where a patient had a diagnosis of autism.     

Social Support,Reciprocity, and Weil-Being

Abstract

Systematic random-sampling procedures were used to gather a sample of 191 community residents in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan, and survey them regarding (a) amount of social support given and received; (b) perceived reciprocity of support in relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues; (c) negative affect; and (d) psychological symptoms. Extraversion and social desirability were also measured. Both receiving and giving support were related to negative affect after controlling for the effects of extraversion and social desirability. These two personality factors also substantially masked the negative impact of support on psychological symptoms. Reciprocity of support within the family domain was related to well-being. Individual differences in support exchanges were noted, and women received more support than men.     

Psychological support needs of patients with head and neck cancer and their caregivers: A qualitative study

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the psychological support needs of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and their caregivers. The appropriate timing, length, format and content of sessions were also investigated.

Design: Eighty-three patients with HNC and 73 of their caregivers completed questionnaires at diagnosis. Follow-up questionnaires were mailed to patients six months later.

Main outcome measures: Free text-comments to open-ended questions in the questionnaires were analysed using an inductive thematic approach with coding and theme development directed by the content of responses. This was used to determine psychological support needs both at diagnosis and at six month follow-up.

Results: Patients described ‘just being there’, empathy, maintaining normality and practical support as helpful from family/friends. They desired information, honesty, positivity and empathy from clinical staff. Formal psychological support was desired by approximately 40% of patients and caregivers, particularly early after diagnosis and during treatment. Most participants desired face to face sessions, providing individualised information and coping strategies.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that psychological interventions for patients with HNC and their caregivers should be delivered early after diagnosis in face to face sessions, presenting honest and factual information about the disease and coping strategies.     

Discussing transgender topics within gay-straight alliances: Factors that could promote more frequent conversations

ABSTRACT

Background: Gay-straight alliances (GSAs) have potential to facilitate conversations on transgender and gender-diversity issues among members. We examined how frequently GSA members discussed transgender and gender-diversity topics within GSAs, whether GSAs varied from one another in the extent to which these conversations occurred, and identified factors that distinguished which members and GSAs discussed such topics more often than others.

Methods: Participants were 295 members of 33 high school GSAs in the state of Massachusetts who completed surveys that assessed their experiences within their GSA.

Results: On average, youth discussed transgender and gender-diversity issues with some regularity, but this varied significantly across GSAs and among youth within each GSA. Youth who had transgender friends, perceived a more respectful GSA climate, and accessed more information/resources and engaged in more advocacy within the GSA reported more frequently discussing transgender and gender-diversity issues. Also, GSAs with transgender members, whose members collectively perceived a more respectful climate, accessed more information/resources and did more advocacy, and who reported lower socializing or support discussed transgender and gender-diversity issues more frequently than other GSAs.

Conclusions: This information could inform GSA programming to facilitate more transgender and gender-diversity topic discussions and ensure that members feel encouraged to participate in them.     

Family environments and adaptation: A clinically applicable typology

Abstract

Improved methods for assessing the interrelationships of the family environment and individuals' patterns of adaptation are needed for clinical and research purposes. To address this need, a typology of family environments based on multidimensional assessments of a representative sample of community families is presented. Seven family types were identified: 1) independence oriented, 2) achievement oriented, 3) moral/religious oriented (structured and unstructured), 4) intellectual/cultural oriented, 5) support oriented, 6) conflict oriented, and 7) disorganized. Differences in environmental stressors and coping resources were examined as mediators of the associations between the family types and family members' levels of functioning. Clinical and research applications of the typology are discussed.     

Employed Parents' Support from Partners,Employers, and Friends

Abstract

Employed parents (226 fathers, 264 mothers) in Canada were interviewed about the kinds of support that help them balance the dual responsibilities of work and family. The participants received tangible and emotional support from their partners. In the workplace, family-responsibility leave and flexible work arrangements were helpful. The participants also stressed the importance of supportive supervisors and expressed the desire for greater flexibility, shorter hours, and help with child care. The majority of the participants had friends who provided both emotional and practical support in balancing the competing demands of work and family. Comparisons by gender, family type, marital status, and life-cycle stage identified the importance of contextual variables. The findings highlight the importance of multidimensional assessment of support and the necessity to consider both the availability of and gaps in support.     

Resilience and quality of life among empty nesters in China: the mediating role of the source of support

Abstract

This study aims to explore the correlations among resilience, social support, and quality of life (QOL) in empty nesters to comprehend whether various sources of social support indirectly affected the correlation between resilience and QOL. We used hierarchical multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling method in this study. Resilience and support from both family members and friends significantly correlated with the QOL. Besides, both types of support played vital roles in the mediating effects on the correlation between resilience and QOL among empty nesters residing in China. Hence, the hypothesis proposed was confirmed partially. Furthermore, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of overall mental and physical health among empty nesters.     

Maternal fatigue and burnout: From self-forgetfulness to environmental expectations

ObjectiveThe main objective of this study is to explore, through a qualitative approach, maternal and family expectations that could be related to maternal fatigue and exhaustion. The secondary objective is to identify aspects that could be specific to a specific age group.MethodA total of fourteen French mothers aged 28 to 42 (mean age 32 ± 4.3 years), with at least one child under 10 years of age, participated in a Focus Group. Mothers were grouped into two groups according to the age of their child(ren): 1) with children between 0 and 1 year of age; 2) with children between 1 and 10 years of age. Several themes were discussed: mothers’ sacrifices and efforts, maternal fatigue and exhaustion, maternal, family and social expectations, and means of prevention. A thematic analysis and a classification analysis were carried out.ResultsThe thematic analysis revealed that exhaustion is partly related to expectations and family and social remarks. The classification analyses showed that mothers’ discourse can be classified into three classes: the first class called “Self-forgetfulness and its consequences” (38.1%); the second class called “The mother as the main manager of the family's daily life” (39.2%) and the third “Social pressure” (22.7%).DiscussionThis exploratory study shows that maternal exhaustion has its origin in the tasks and responsibilities often associated with maternal role as well as in the pressure exerted by family and friends. Although differences exist between mothers in the two groups, several factors appear to be independent of the age of the children. Prevention strategies are discussed in this article.     

Resiliency in Families with a Member with a Psychological Disorder

The aim of this study was to identify resiliency factors in families with a mentally ill family member. The study population was composed of 30 families, where questionnaires were independently completed by both a parent and a child. The results indicate that family hardiness was an important resilience factor for both the parents and the children. According to the parents the passive evaluation of a crisis situation, or the use of avoidance strategies, was also helpful for the family to adapt. For the children, the extent to which they found support from within the community and the extent to which they experienced emotional support, self-worth, and community support were linked to their view on family adaptation to stressful situations.     

Socialization influences of collegiate female athletes: A tale of two decades

Over the past decade, sport participation opportunities for females have increased dramatically. The purposes of this study were to compare perceptions of encouragement and support from socializing agents for: (a) female collegiate volleyball players competing during the 1979 and 1989 seasons, and (b) female collegiate athletes and female and male nonathletes. Female athletes (n= 345), female nonathletes (n= 128), and male nonathletes (n= 88) completed a questionnaire to assess significant others' influence on sport involvement during childhood, adolescence, and college years. Results indicated that interest and encouragement by parents, older siblings, and friends significantly increased for female athletes over the past 10 years during one or more developmental period. Discriminant analyses revealed that female athletes perceived stronger influences from mother, siblings, friends, and coaches than did male and female nonathletes. These results demonstrate that female athletes received greater social support than their peers a decade earlier, and these influences were significantly different than male and female nonathletes. This study was supported by a grant awarded to the first author by the Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, Eugene.     

Length and Locus of Friendship Influence Church Members' Sense of Social Support and Comfort with Sharing Emotions

ABSTRACT

This study investigated whether older people involved with religious congregations differentiate their friends within the congregation from their friends outside the congregation in terms of perceptions of social support and their comfort with sharing various positive and negative emotions. The study also examined older adults' perceptions of differences in social support and comfort with sharing emotions with friends they have known a long time and friends they have known for three years or less. The results showed significant differences between long time friends and new friends in terms of a stronger sense of social support and greater comfort with sharing positive and negative emotions. No differences were noted for social support or comfort with sharing emotions in comparisons of friends within and outside of congregations. Study participants were significantly more comfortable sharing positive emotions than negative emotions with all categories of friends and there was a significant positive relation between social support and comfort with sharing emotions. Results are discussed in terms of the types of congregations to which the participants belonged and the role of congregational leaders in providing opportunities for older people to develop and sustain friendships within the faith community.     

Post-combat adaptation: improving social support and reaching constructive growth

Background and Objectives: Posttraumatic stress disorder, a commonly researched mental health outcome associated with trauma, does not develop in the majority of survivors. More common trajectories of adaptation include resilience, and posttraumatic growth (PTG). The objectives of the current study were to: (1) describe posttrauma adaptation profiles in a sample of Israeli male military veterans (N?=?448); and (2) to explore the protective factors that promote constructive PTG within two profiles of posttrauma adaptation.

Methods: The study used secondary data to estimate latent profile mixture models and a series of logistic regression analyses.

Results: Demographic controls, combat related variables, endorsement of coping strategies, and reports of improvement in social support were not significant predictors of constructive growth in the resilient class. However, those in the struggling growth subset of the sample who reported improvement in perceived social support increased the odds of reaching constructive growth.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of tailored clinical interventions that account for more complex profiles of posttrauma adaptation; and further, provide evidence that adaptation takes place over time. Finally, these findings call for future research to continue to explore the quality of PTG and the contexts in which protective factors promote positive adaptation.