Factors which enhance or inhibit social support

A mixed-methods analysis of social networks in older women

Dados Bibliográficos

ID11202138
AutoresDeirdre Mclaughlin (0000-0002-3493-0121, The University of Queensland, autor correspondente), Jon Adams (0000-0002-9901-5717, The University of Queensland), Dimitrios Vagenas (0000-0001-7026-0834, The University of Queensland), Annette J Dobson (0000-0003-4956-0124), Annette Dobson (The University of Queensland)
Ano2011
Volume31
Fascículo1
Páginas18-33
Data de publicação2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
EditoraCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x10000668
OpenAlexW2035212553
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas6
Referências citadas22

Evidence suggests that people with strong social support have lower mortality and morbidity and better self-rated health in later life, but few studies have used longitudinal data to examine the factors that inhibit or enhance social support. This study used both quantitative data and qualitative texts to explore older women's social networks. The mixed-methods design drew participants from the 1921–26 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Regression modelling for repeated measures was used to analyse the longitudinal data. The qualitative data was content analysed by the themes identified from the quantitative analyses. The quantitative analyses revealed that larger social networks associated with better mental health, widowhood, illness or death of a family member, and no mobility problems. Women who were not Australian-born, had sight problems or who had moved house were more likely to have smaller social networks. The qualitative data provided insight into the lived experiences of this group of women. The use of a mixed methodology enabled the longitudinal quantitative results to be enriched by the women's own words. The findings highlight the importance to older women of being able to access their social network members to gain the psychological and emotional benefits

Cohort · Cohort study · Developmental psychology · Life course approach · Longitudinal data · Longitudinal study · Mental health · Psychiatry · Qualitative property · Qualitative research · Social engagement · Social media · Social network (sociolinguistics) · Social support · Sociology · Demography · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Health disparities and outcomes · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology