Looking Sociologically at Family Coping with Visual Impairment

1994 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.L. Nixon
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Family Coping ◽  
Family Social Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Support Relations

This article provides an overview of relevant sociological perspectives and knowledge about major social aspects of family coping with visual impairment. Special attention is given to the importance of the social structures and dynamics of families as social networks, the social construction of impairment experiences by families, family social support relations, and the visual impairment of older family members.

scholarly journals The Social Aspects of Sexual Health: A Twitter-Based Analysis of Valentine’s Day Perception

Sexes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-59
Author(s):  
Andrea Sansone ◽  
Angelo Cignarelli ◽  
Daniele Mollaioli ◽  
Giacomo Ciocca ◽  
Erika Limoncin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Healthcare Research ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Us ◽  
Valentine's Day ◽  
The Uk

Sentiment analysis (SA) is a technique aimed at extracting opinions and sentiments through the analysis of text, often used in healthcare research to understand patients’ needs and interests. Data from social networks, such as Twitter, can provide useful insights on sexual behavior. We aimed to assess the perception of Valentine’s Day by performing SA on tweets we collected between 28 January and 13 February 2019. Analysis was done using ad hoc software. A total of 883,615 unique tweets containing the word “valentine” in their text were collected. Geo-localization was available for 48,918 tweets; most the tweets came from the US (36,889, 75.41%), the UK (2605, 5.33%) and Canada (1661, 3.4%). The number of tweets increased approaching February 14. “Love” was the most recurring word, appearing in 111,981 tweets, followed by “gift” (55,136), “special” (34,518) and “happy” (33,913). Overall, 7318 tweets mentioned “sex”: among these tweets, the most recurring words were “sexy” (2317 tweets), “love” (1394) and “gift” (679); words pertaining to intimacy and sexual activity, such as “lingerie”, “porn”, and “date” were less common. In conclusion, tweets about Valentine’s Day mostly focus on the emotions, or on the material aspect of the celebration, and the sexual aspect of Valentine’s Day is rarely mentioned.

scholarly journals Analysis of User Social Support Network in Online Tumor Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-194
Author(s):  
Hui Lin ◽  
Shijuan Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Social Support Network ◽  
Information Behaviors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Professional Health

AbstractWith the development of Internet technology, online health forums have become indispensable for people who seek non-professional health support. This research focuses on the content posted by cancer patients and their relatives in online health forums and social networks to raise the following research questions: What is the overall view of the social support network in the online tumor community? What are the information behaviors of the online tumor community in different identities of users? How users interact in this community and build this network of social support? What are the topics users would like to share and talk about? What kinds of users could be the key users in this community? Method: Using the post and comment data of the Oncology Forum of Tianya Hospital in 2019, combined with social network analysis and word co-occurrence network analysis, the following conclusions are obtained: (1) There are some central points in the overall social support network, and there are central users consistent with other social networks. (2) Positive users are more likely to comment on others, and it is easier to get others’ comments, while negative users are more likely to share personal information and do not want to participate more in social interaction. (3) Users focus on posting emotional and emotional content in content sharing. Information-based social support information. The social support experience that this type of information brings to users can be positive and negative. (4) The most active group in the patients’ online health community, followed by the patients’ children. (5) The relationship between users and patients is diverse and there are two types of singularity. Users with diverse relationships are more likely to be commented on, and they are more willing to comment on users who also have diverse relationships.

scholarly journals The Social Environment’s Relationship With Frailty: Evidence From Existing Studies

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daan Duppen ◽  
Michaël C. J. Van der Elst ◽  
Sarah Dury ◽  
Deborah Lambotte ◽  
Liesbeth De Donder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family

Increasingly, policymakers assume that informal networks will provide care for frail older people. While the literature has mainly discussed the role of the family, broader social networks are also considered to be important. However, these social networks can diminish in later life. This systematic review investigates whether the social environment increases the risk of frailty or helps to prevent it. Findings from 15 original studies were classified using five different factors, which denoted five dimensions of the social environment: (a) social networks, (b) social support, (c) social participation, (d) subjective neighborhood experience, and (e) socioeconomic neighborhood characteristics. The discussion highlights that the social environment and frailty are indeed related, and how the neighborhood dimensions and social participation had more consistent results than social support and social networks. Conclusively, recommendations are formulated to contemplate all dimensions of the social environment for further research examining frailty and community care.

The Comparability of Event-Related and General Social Support

2011 ◽  
pp. 339-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Hlebec ◽  
Maja Mrzel ◽  
Tina Kogovšek
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Response Format ◽  
Major Life Events ◽  
Major Life ◽  
The Social ◽  
Related Approach ◽  
Relation Approach

Some studies (e.g., Kogovšek & Hlebec, 2008, 2009) have shown that the name generator and the role relation approaches to measuring social networks are to some extent comparable, but less so the name generator and the event-related approaches (Hlebec, Mrzel, & Kogovšek, 2009). In this chapter, the composition of the social support network assessed by both the general social support approach and the event-related approach (support during 15 major life events) is analyzed and compared. In both cases, the role relation approach is used. In addition, in both approaches a more elaborate (16 possible categories ranging from partner, mother, father, friend to no one) and a more simple (6 possible categories ranging from family member, friend, neighbor to no one) response format is applied and compared. The aim of the chapter is to establish, in a controlled quasi-experiment setting, whether the different approaches (i.e. the general social support and the event-related approach) produce similar social networks regardless of the response format (long vs. short).

Social Network: A New Perspective on Independence and Illiterate Adults

1983 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlene Fingeret
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Literacy Programs ◽  
Interdependent Networks ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Illiterate Adults

This study explores the social structures illiterate adults create, and their relationship to notions of dependence and independence. In-depth unstructured interviews and participant-observation were used with 43 adults in a medium-sized northeastern urban setting. Analysis shows that illiterate adults create social networks that include readers and are characterized by mutuality. Illiterate adults contribute a range of skills to their networks and see themselves as interdependent. Networks are related to the extent to which illiterate adults are involved in the larger society; this ranges from extensive, for cosmopolitans, to minimal for local adults. Dependent adults have networks that are characterized by asymmetrical relationships. Literacy programs must learn to respond to adults-in-networks.

Neighborhood Considerations for Social Determinants of Health and Risk

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holley A. Wilkin
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Communication Infrastructure ◽  
The Social ◽  
Action Context ◽  
Communication Infrastructure Theory

When it comes to health and risk, “place” matters. People who live in lower-income neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by obesity and obesity-related diseases like heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes; asthma; cancers; mental health issues; etc., compared to those that live in higher-income communities. Contributing to these disparities are individual-level factors (e.g., education level, health literacy, healthcare access) and neighborhood-level factors such as the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhood; crime, violence, and social disorder; the built environment; and the presence or absence of health-enhancing and health-compromising resources. Social determinants of health—for example, social support, social networks, and social capital—may improve or further complicate health outcomes in low-income neighborhoods. Social support is a type of transaction between two or more people intended to help the recipient in some fashion. For instance, a person can help provide someone who is grieving or dealing with a newly diagnosed health issue by providing emotional support. Informational support may be provided to someone trying to diagnose, manage, and/or treat a health problem. Instrumental support may come in the help of making meals for someone who is ill, running errands for them, or taking them to a doctor’s appointment. Unfortunately, those who may have chronic diseases and require a lot of support or who otherwise do not feel able to provide support may not seek it due to the expectation of reciprocity. Neighborhood features can enable or constrain people from developing social networks that can help provide social support when needed. There are different types of social networks: some can enhance health outcomes, while others may have a more limiting or even a detrimental effect on health. Social capital results in the creation of resources that may or may not improve health outcomes. Communication infrastructure theory offers an opportunity to create theoretically grounded health interventions that consider the social and neighborhood characteristics that influence health outcomes. The theory states that every neighborhood has a communication infrastructure that consists of a neighborhood storytelling network—which includes elements similar to the social determinants of health—embedded in a communication action context that enables or constrains neighborhood storytelling. People who are more engaged in their neighborhood storytelling networks are in a better position to reduce health disparities—for example, to fight to keep clinics open or to clean up environmental waste. The communication action context features are similar to the neighborhood characteristics that influence health outcomes. Communication infrastructure theory may be useful in interventions to address neighborhood health and risk.

Homelessness in a Post-Soviet City: Weak Social Support and Institutional Alienation

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1031-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petru Negură
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Couple Relationship ◽  
Weak Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Care Leavers ◽  
Support Relations ◽  
Descriptive Statistical Analysis

Abstract Research has shown that most homeless people suffer from weak support from family, relatives and friends. Based on a descriptive statistical analysis with biographical records of 810 subjects, and a thematic analysis of interviews with homeless people (N = 65), people at risk of homelessness (N = 5) and professionals (N = 20), the article explores the social support system of homeless people from Chisinau (Moldova). Only 18.6 per cent of all users of the Shelter for homeless in Chisinau were in a couple relationship (and only 5.6 per cent registered officially). For former detainees (23 per cent of the Shelter users) and care leavers (11 per cent), it is even more difficult to create a couple and to strengthen their social support network, as the institutions they come from did not foster their social support. As homelessness becomes chronic, people build social support networks with other homeless people. This social support helps homeless people to cope with stressful living conditions. The article suggests, in the case of Moldova, that social support relations with family, friends, acquaintances and other homeless people are affected negatively in the absence of policies and institutional measures targeted to encourage and strengthen such relationships.

scholarly journals A CROSS-NATIONAL COMPARISON OF THE SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS OF OLDER MEN AND WOMEN WHO LACK TRADITIONAL FAMILY TIES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S564-S564
Author(s):  
Christine Mair ◽  
Kasey Knopp
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Family Ties ◽  
Traditional Family ◽  
The Social ◽  
Older Men And Women ◽  
Cross National

Abstract Existing literature on “aging alone” focuses on potential lack of support to “kinless” older adults who do not have traditional family ties (e.g., child, spouse; Margolis & Verdery, 2018), as well as the ways in which childless or unpartnered older adults may construct non-kin networks of support (e.g., friendship; Djundeva et al., 2018; Mair, 2019). In addition, older men’s and women’s social networks vary, with women reporting more network growth than men and potentially lower family involvement (Schwartz & Litwin, 2018). Finally, patterns of support (e.g., family care, friend interactions) differ by country context. However, it is unknown if and how the social networks of older adults who lack traditional family ties may differ by gender, as well as what forms of cross-national variation exist in these patterns. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE, N=17 nations, N=53,247 adults aged 50+), we take advantage of a unique social support network module in this cross-national dataset to compare closeness, proximity, quality, and type of ties by gender among older childless and unpartnered men and women by country. Among those without traditional family ties, we find that older women may be advantaged in terms of social support compared to older men, but that this advantage varies by nation. We discuss the details and implications of these results regarding potential policy implications about the differential risks faced by older men and women who lack traditional family ties in various country contexts.

scholarly journals Associations Between Social Support, Social Networks, and Financial Exploitation in Older Adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 990-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott R. Beach ◽  
Richard Schulz ◽  
Rodlescia Sneed
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Financial Exploitation ◽  
The Social

Social support and social networks are important correlates of elder mistreatment. This study tests hypothesized associations between perceived social support, social network size, and financial exploitation (FE). A population-based survey of 903 older adults (60+) in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) found that lower perceived social support and larger social networks were simultaneously associated with higher risk for FE since age 60, controlling for known risk factors. The same associations were found for FE in the last 6 months. Older adults with larger social networks combined with lower perceived social support were most likely to report FE. When it comes to the role of social relationships and risk for FE, “more may not always be better.” Encouragement to widen the social network by “making new friends” should be stressed less than making sure these new network members will truly be supportive of the older adult.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document