The Social Networks and Social Support of Siblings of Children with Cancer

Siblings of children with cancer need support to ameliorate the challenges they encounter; however, little is known about what types and sources of support exist for siblings. This study addresses this gap in our understanding of the social networks and sources of support for adolescents with a brother or sister who has cancer. Additionally, we describe how the support siblings receive addresses what they feel are the hardest aspects of being a sibling of a child with cancer. During semi-structured interviews, siblings (ages 12–17) constructed ecomaps describing their support networks. Data were coded for support type (emotional, instrumental, informational, validation, companionship) and support provider (e.g., mother, teacher, friend). Network characteristics and patterns of support were explored. Support network size ranged from 3 to 10 individuals (M = 6 ± 1.9); siblings most frequently reported mothers as sources of support (n = 22, 91.7%), followed by fathers (n = 19, 79.2%), close friends (n = 19, 79.2%) and siblings (with or without cancer) (n = 17, 70.8%). Friends and brothers or sisters most often provided validation and companionship while instrumental and informational supports came from parents. This study provides foundational knowledge about siblings’ support networks, which can be utilized to design interventions that improve support for siblings of children with cancer.

Peer Support Experienced by Mothers of Children With Congenital Heart Defects in Sweden

The aim of this study was to describe experiences of peer support among mothers of children with congenital heart defects. Ten mothers were interviewed through a semi-structured approach and interviews were analyzed with systematic text condensation. The respondents established various channels used for peer support and navigated between the channels depending on what type of information or support they needed. Through the channels, they found peers they developed strong friendships with and who they relied on for emotional support. Communicating with peers involved the reciprocal exchange of unique emotional support between peers who understand each other as well as the exchange of information derived from their collective knowledge, and thus, difficult to find without the help of peers. The findings illustrate the potential strengths of establishing reliable collaboration and liaisons between clinical units and peer support networks.

Relationships of adolescents with suicidal behavior with social support networks

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify the relationships of adolescents with suicidal behavior established with social support networks. Method: Qualitative study addressing ten adolescents with suicidal behavior cared for by a psychosocial care center attending children and adolescents located in southern Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were held in July 2020 via WhatsApp during the COVID-19 pandemic, and data were analyzed according to Minayo’s thematic analysis. Results: Two categories emerged: Dynamics of the relationships established in the family support network and Relationships established with the remaining social support network members, which revealed a weak social support network established with friends and at the school context. Final considerations: This study enabled identifying how relationships are established in the social support networks and how these reflected on the adolescents’ development.

Under reconstruction: the impact of COVID-19 policies on the lives and support networks of older people living alone

In the spring of 2020, the Austrian government introduced COVID-19 containment policies that had various impacts on older people living alone and their care arrangements. Seven qualitative telephone interviews with older people living alone were conducted to explore how they were affected by these policies. The findings show that the management of everyday life and support was challenging for older people living alone, even though they did not perceive the pandemic as a threat. To better address the needs of older people living alone, it would be important to actively negotiate single measures in the area of conflict between protection, safety and assurance of autonomy.

Inclusive Practicum: Creating Networks of Learning and Collaboration between Students, Teachers, and the Faculty of Education

The presented Teaching Innovation project deals with establishment of support, learning and collaboration networks between university and non-university teaching staff. This was done with two fundamental purposes in mind: on the one hand, improving the training of Practicum students through joint reflection and, on the other hand, promoting inclusive education in schools through support networks among teachers. Participants were the Practicum students from the Faculty of Education, specifically students with the major in Special Educational Needs. The project included creation of joint seminars between Practicum tutors of the Faculty, tutors from schools and Practicum students. Moreover, initiating support networks allowed involving two different schools in two Autonomous Communities, which has been a highly enriching experience for all participants.

How Do the Support Networks of Older People Influence Their Experiences of Social Isolation in Care Homes?

Understanding how to better support older people living in care homes is imperative for improving their wellbeing and quality of life. Despite this, little research has explored how support networks are structured and composed for individual residents. This study aimed to explore how, and by whom, residents felt they were supported, and how this support influenced their experiences of social isolation within the care home. The study included 36 residents from seven care homes located in the Scottish central belt in 2018. This article uses egocentric network analysis to analyse the structure and composition of the support networks, while a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews resulted in themes exploring how a resident’s support network impacts their social isolation within the care home. Findings indicated that residents’ most supportive alters were adult children, while staff members were only nominated as providing support in one third of support networks, despite most residents needing specialised care every day. Ambiguous relationships within residents’ support networks lead to feelings of social isolation, as well as adding to residents’ isolating behaviour. This suggests that national care frameworks, such as person‐centred care frameworks, which advocate for coordinated support between residents, relatives, and staff are not being implemented effectively and that more needs to be done to break down barriers to inclusion for care home residents.

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

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.

A Privilege not a Choice: Transnational Support Networks of Asylum Seekers and Expatriates

The article explores how different factors shape migrants’ transnational social fields and support networks through a comparative study of two different groups of migrants—asylum seekers and expatriates—in Budapest, Hungary. To do so, the study employs a parallel mixed‐methods social network design by combining personal network data with qualitative data based on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with thirty‐three migrants in the aftermath of the 2015 refugee crisis. The article presents three key findings: First, it finds that asylum seekers’ and expatriates’ networks differ on several key characteristics, as asylum seekers’ close personal networks are less efficient, smaller in size, and show a remarkable lack of friendship and transnational support ties. Second, it also finds that asylum seekers have limited access to social support and, especially so, to financial and emotional support. Lastly, using multi‐level models, the article also demonstrates how migrants’ legal status and the transnationality of their support ties affect their access to financial support, as well as how their gender and legal status shape their access to emotional support. These findings illustrate how migrants’ individual opportunity structures affect their transnational practices alongside their access to social support, while also highlighting the importance of several individual and contextual factors which contribute to the diverse integration processes of migrants.