Family and friendship informal support networks and social anxiety disorder among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

Levine, Debra; Taylor, Robert Joseph; Nguyen, Ann W.; Chatters, Linda M.; Himle, Joseph A.

doi:10.1007/s00127-015-1023-4

Cited by 56 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…African Americans who have more frequent contact with their family members have indicated that they experienced more negative interactions, such as conflicts, with their family members (Lincoln et al 2013). Negative interactions with family has been associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation (Lincoln et al 2012) and social anxiety disorders (Levine et al 2015). Closely related, a recent study by Taylor et al (2015) found that African Americans who lack close supportive ties with family have higher rates of major depressive disorder over the course of a year and a lifetime than those who have close supportive family ties.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Can I Turn To? Emotional Support Availability in African American Social Networks

et al. 2017

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African Americans disproportionately experience psychological distress, such as feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness and are disproportionately exposed to risk factors associated with mental illness, such as racial discrimination, violence and poverty. To effectively address African Americans' mental health needs, it is imperative to identify who African Americans turn to when they experience stressors. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which emotional support is provided within African Americans' social networks and determine the characteristics of social network members who African Americans rely upon for emotional support. Results indicate that African Americans rely on social network members for spiritual and physical health support more so than emotional support. Among both male and female participants, social network members were significantly more likely to be relied upon for emotional support if they were a non-familial network contact, had a close relationship to the participant, and if they also were someone the participant spoke to about his or her physical health. Findings have implications for the development of culturally-sensitive strategies for increasing emotional support provision within African Americans' social networks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Can I Turn To? Emotional Support Availability in African American Social Networks

et al. 2017

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“…Finally, in Model 3, we tested the associations between friendship and family support and 12-month PTSD. Some studies have found that friendship support can offset the effects of negative family interaction on mental health and well-being (Levine et al, in press; Nguyen et al, 2015). Consequently, we tested the interactive effect of negative family interaction and subjective closeness with friends on 12-month PTSD in Model 3.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research examining the health-related benefits of social support indicate that higher levels of emotional social support are associated with higher levels of life satisfaction (Taylor, Chatters, Hardison, & Riley, 2001) and happiness (Nguyen et al, 2015; Taylor et al, 2001) among African Americans. Additionally, social support is protective against a range of mental health problems and has been linked to lowered odds of being diagnosed with depression (Chatters et al, 2015; Lincoln & Chae, 2012; Lincoln, Taylor, Chae, & Chatters, 2010; Taylor et al, 2015), anxiety (Levine, Taylor, Nguyen, Chatters, & Himle, in press; Lincoln, Taylor, Bullard, et al, 2010), fewer depressive symptoms (Haines, Beggs, & Hurlbert, 2008; Lincoln, Chatters, & Taylor, 2005), and lower levels of psychological distress (Lincoln, Chatters, & Taylor, 2003). Conversely, African Americans experiencing low levels of social support are more likely to have suicidal ideation (Lincoln, Taylor, Chatters, & Joe, 2012; Wingate et al, 2005) and to attempt suicide (Compton, Thompson, & Kaslow, 2005; Kaslow et al, 2005; Lincoln, Taylor, Chatters, et al, 2012).…”

Section: Informal Support Negative Interactions and Mental Health Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Family, friends, and 12-month PTSD among African Americans

Nguyen

Chatters

Taylor

et al. 2016

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

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Purpose Despite a growing literature on the influence of social support on mental health, little is known about the relationship between social support and specific psychiatric disorders for African Americans, such as PTSD. This study investigated the relationship between social support, negative interaction with family and 12-month PTSD among African Americans. Methods Analyses were based on a nationally representative sample of African Americans from the National Survey of American Life (n=3,315). Social support variables included emotional support from family, frequency of contact with family and friends, subjective closeness with family and friends, and negative interactions with family. Results Results indicated that emotional support from family is negatively associated with 12-month PTSD while negative interaction with family is predictive of 12-month PTSD. Additionally, a significant interaction indicated that high levels of subjective closeness to friends could offset the impact of negative family interactions on 12-month PTSD. Conclusions Overall, study results converged with previously established findings indicating that emotional support from family is associated with 12-month PTSD, while, negative interaction with family is associated with increased risk of 12-month PTSD. The findings are discussed in relation to prior research on the unique association between social support and mental health among African Americans.

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“…Research has found African American families are important when coping with mental health problems (Chatters, Taylor, Woodward, & Nicklett, 2015; Levine, Taylor, Nguyen, Chatters, & Himle, 2015; Lincoln, Taylor, Chatters, & Joe, 2012; Taylor, Chae, Lincoln, & Chatters, 2015; Woodward et al, 2008) as well as providing economic assistance (O'Brien, 2012), emotional support and tangible services to meet the challenges of daily life (Lincoln, Taylor, & Chatters, 2013; Taylor, Chatters, Woodward, & Brown, 2013). The vast majority of research on social support among African Americans investigates the receipt of support from extended family members, with considerably less attention on the role of friends and church members in social support networks.…”

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confidence: 99%

Reciprocal Family, Friendship and Church Support Networks of African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

et al. 2016

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This study examined reciprocal support networks involving extended family, friends and church members among African Americans. Our analysis examined specific patterns of reciprocal support (i.e., received only, gave only, both gave and received, neither gave or received), as well as network characteristics (i.e., contact and subjective closeness) as correlates of reciprocal support. The analysis is based on the African American sub-sample of the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Overall, our findings indicate that African Americans are very involved in reciprocal support networks with their extended family, friends and church members. Respondents were most extensively involved in reciprocal supports with extended family members, followed closely by friends and church networks. Network characteristics (i.e., contact and subjective closeness) were significantly and consistently associated with involvement with reciprocal support exchanges for all three networks. These and other findings are discussed in detail. This study complements previous work on the complementary roles of family, friend and congregational support networks, as well as studies of racial differences in informal support networks.

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Family and friendship informal support networks and social anxiety disorder among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

Cited by 56 publications

References 67 publications

Who Can I Turn To? Emotional Support Availability in African American Social Networks

Who Can I Turn To? Emotional Support Availability in African American Social Networks

Family, friends, and 12-month PTSD among African Americans

Reciprocal Family, Friendship and Church Support Networks of African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

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