scholarly journals The Impact of Life Trajectories on Retirement: Socioeconomic Differences in Social Support Networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Ortiz ◽  
Elisa Bellotti
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Life History ◽  
Older People ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Life Trajectories ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

In general, the literature about social support networks (SSNs) has been divided into two different statements: On the one hand, social support is a safety net that helps the ego confront disadvantages in life. On the other hand, studies have shown how SSNs could act as sources of constraints for ego, especially in poverty. In this study, we looked into the SSNs of older people over time and found how those two paths co‐exist and depend on the socioeconomic status of ego. Then, this article aims to discover how cumulative social inequalities intersect with social networks in facilitating or hampering social support over time, impacting retirement experience. Specifically, we want to observe if and how the life trajectories of older people from different socioeconomic statuses affect how people build their SSNs in terms of structure and composition. This article presents a mixed‐method project that collected qualitative life history interviews from 30 older women and men in Santiago, Chile. The results show that socioeconomic status plays a role in shaping individual experiences of retirement but that these experiences are shaped through SSNs structural and compositional characteristics. People identify salient life events and the relevant networks and conjointly discuss supportive and/or exploitative aspects of their networks. The amount of support they give to others or that they receive from their alters accumulates over time, resulting in a progressive social inclusion or exclusion mechanism. This article concludes that SSNs during retirement are shaped by the ego’s socioeconomic status and life history.

scholarly journals The structure and functional correlates of social support networks of people in advanced old age living in chosen urban and rural areas in Poland: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. B. Wojszel ◽  
B. Politynska
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older People ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Functional Disability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Network Type

Abstract The purpose of the study was to identify the different types of social support networks (SSNs) among community-dwelling people aged 75+ years in selected areas of Poland, and to evaluate any associations between the network type and demographic and health variables of the population studied. The two most prevalent SSN types identified using the Practitioner Assessment of Network Type were “family dependent” (35.8%) and “locally integrated” (32.2%). “Local self-contained” (6.4%), “wider community focused” (2.8%) and “private restricted” (5.6%) SSNs were observed less frequently. In 17.2% of cases, it was not possible to identify the type of network unequivocally. Older people with a locally integrated SSN, in contrast to the family dependent type, were generally younger, living alone, and less likely to be homebound, rate their health as poor, suffer from depression or dementia, and had lower levels of functional disability. Locally integrated SSNs are recognized in the literature as being the most robust in terms of facilitating well-being and providing sufficient support to help maintain the older person in the community. This may reflect the higher levels of independence of older people able to sustain these support networks, which are then transformed into family-dependent types as their health deteriorates, but confirmation of this would require prospective studies. An improved understanding of the prevalence of different types of social networks among older people in Poland would help to guide a systematic approach to recognizing unmet needs in this population and provide crucial information in the planning of formal services.

Effects on Social Support Networks: Exploring the Impact of Type and Severity of Abuse Experienced by Children and Adolescents

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicity A. Quirk ◽  
Debra J. Rickwood
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Young People ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

The importance of social networks for young people who have experienced abuse and neglect remains an underdeveloped area of research and practice. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between abuse experienced by children and adolescents and subsequent outcomes on their social support networks. The study sample consisted of 85 clients (aged 8–15) of a service specifically for children reported to child protection due to child abuse and neglect. Abuse was measured using the Harm Consequences Assessment (HCA), which recorded the level of abuse experienced in five domains: Abandonment/No Appropriate Carer, Developmental and Medical Harm, Emotional and Psychological Harm, Physical Harm and Injury, and Sexual Harm. This also ranked abuse experienced in terms of severity: concerning, serious or extreme. Social network was measured using the Social Network Map. Analyses revealed a very high level of abuse for most young people across multiple domains. Social support was most evident in the “other family” category, and a relatively high level of perceived support was reported. There were few significant associations between levels of abuse and social support networks. However, one significant effect evident was for those young people who had not experienced developmental abuse who reported a significantly better network quality in work/school area of life than those who had experienced concerning or serious developmental abuse. This study contributes to an important body of emerging evidence on social support networks for children who have experienced maltreatment.

scholarly journals The impact of the use of FacebookTM on social support networks and symptoms of depression reported by the elderly

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-408
Author(s):  
Bruno César Spineli Silva ◽  
Adriana Aparecida de Ávila ◽  
Greiciane da Silva Rocha ◽  
Daniella Pires Nunes ◽  
Flávia Della Lucia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals A regimes-of-mobility-and-welfare approach: The impact of migration and welfare policies on transnational social support networks of older migrants in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Brandhorst
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Welfare Regime ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Migration Policies ◽  
Older Migrants ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Impact

In this paper, I examine the implications of welfare and migration policies on transnational aged care arrangements of older migrants in Australia. The paper draws on the results of an ethnographical, biographical and network analytical study of transnational social support networks of older migrants in Perth. I present the developed typology of older migrants and their possibilities of transnational care through three case studies that exemplify each type, namely 'retirement migrant by choice', 'financial obstacles of traditional labour migrants', and 'mobility and welfare regime restrictions of refugees'. The case studies show, first, that the maintenance of social ties across national borders through which different forms of care are organised is constrained by the Australian mobility regime, where temporary migration schemes prevail and migration policies are increasingly restrictive. Second, transnational social support is affected by a welfare regime that is increasingly linked to the mobility regime, as the rights to social welfare and long-term care are often linked to citizenship. Third, inequalities in the possibilities of transnational care and inaccess to mobility are linked to migrants’ legal and socioeconomic status in the country of settlement and the position of their country of origin in the global geopolitical hierarchy. Based on these findings, I propose a 'regimes-of-mobility-and-welfare' approach for the study of transnational social support and family care, which considers the effects of ‘sedentary’ policies and the intertwinement of mobility and welfare regimes.

Social Support and LGBTQ+ Individuals and Communities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Áine M. Humble
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
The Impact

Social support is an important resource that can help reduce stressful situations or buffer the impact of stressful situations for LGBTQ+ individuals. Many definitions of social support exist, but researchers often focus on emotional, informational, or practical support provided to a person. Social support is communicated by people close to a person as well as through institutional practices and policies and in communities. General trends around the world show increasing support for sexual-minority individuals—and to a lesser extent gender-minority individuals—but there are many countries still hostile to LGBTQ+ individuals. A number of individual-level and country-level variables are related to positive attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals. Social support is operationalized in many ways in quantitative research on LGBTQ+ individuals, usually used as a predictor of health outcomes. Some quantitative measures look at general social support, whereas others study social support within particular settings, or very specific ways in which support is communicated. Measures of social support specific to LGBTQ+ populations have been developed, such as The Gay and Lesbian Acceptance and Support Index. Research also looks at support at the community level—the broader community (often referred to as community climate) as well as LGBTQ+ communities. Qualitative research is valuable for exploring what social support means to various groups and for understanding how different social identities interact with each other. Many factors influence expectations and experiences of social support; thus, research should be contextualized. Rather than studying LGBTQ+ as a group, subgroups can be studied, along with intersectional research. When this is carried out, unique findings can appear. For example, lesbians in adulthood can include ex-partners and ex-lovers in their social support networks, and Black lesbian parents describe complex ways in which they interact with their families and religious communities. Different life course changes such as same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ parenting provide opportunities to explore if and how social support is communicated to LGBTQ+ individuals. Who support is received from is also a key area of interest—families of origin, chosen families, friends, work colleagues, LGBTQ+ communities and broader communities, and so on. Later-life circumstances of LGBTQ+ individuals need focus, as these individuals often have smaller social support networks due to lifetime discrimination and cumulative life course experiences. Political situations involving elevated anti-gay rhetoric are also relevant contexts in which to study how social support can ameliorate minority stress. Research is starting to look at social support in formal organizations, many of which have developed guidelines for developing inclusive environments for sexual- and gender-minority groups.

The impact of social support networks on mental and physical health in the transition to older adulthood

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine L. Fiori ◽  
Justin Jager
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Social support is a multidimensional construct that consists of the type of support, the direction of support, the sources or targets of support, and whether support is actual or potential. We used latent class analysis to uncover network types based on these dimensions and to examine the association between network types and well-being among 6,824 adults ( M age = 54 at T1) in the two most recent waves (1992–1993 and 2003–2005) of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. We found six classes of social support networks. Class membership at T1 significantly predicted changes in depressive symptomatology and self-rated health over time. Our findings are discussed in light of the utility of a pattern-centered approach for uncovering heterogeneity in the social networks of adults.

The Role of Social Support Networks in Helping Low Income Families through Uncertain Times

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Hill ◽  
Donald Hirsch ◽  
Abigail Davis
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
State Support ◽  
Hard Times ◽  
Low Income Families

In times of labour market insecurity and retrenchment of state support, low income families rely on friends and relatives as a safety net. This article explores the enhanced role of this ‘third source of welfare’ in light of these developments. It draws on qualitative longitudinal research to demonstrate how families’ situations fluctuate over two years and the importance of social support networks in hard times and periods of crisis. The research illustrates how social support is not necessarily a stable structure that families facing insecurity can fall back on, but rather a variable resource, and fluid over time, as those who provide such support experience changing capabilities and needs. A policy challenge is to help reinforce and not undermine the conditions that enable valuable social support to be offered and sustained, while ensuring sufficient reliable state support to avoid families having no choice but to depend on this potentially fragile resource as a safety net.

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