Racial differences in social support: Kin versus friends.

Abstract

Social support was examined among 290 Black and White women recruited from the community. We hypothesized that (1) social support, adjusted for social class, would not vary by race and (2) social support would be related to well-being. Standardized measures were administered, examining support provided by friends versus kin separately. Multivariate models showed that Black women reported similar numbers of kin and fewer friends than Whites, while satisfaction with support did not vary by race. Measures of social support were generally associated with well-being. These findings question earlier reports that Black women have stronger kin support than White women, suggesting that clinicians should not assume that Blacks can rely on kin for social support.

Social Support and Self-Care of Patients with Heart Failure

“…White patients who are not married but live with others may be at particular risk of low emotional support, particularly from significant others. This may suggest stronger kinship ties among nonwhite, predominantly black patients, consistent with previous literature [28,29]. Also, age was consistently associated with increased levels of perceived social support, which may reflect that those involved in supporting aging HF patients' respond to their needs for greater support.…”

“…The consensus among researchers has been that black individuals benefit from higher levels of social support because of greater kinship ties compared to white individuals [28,29]. The empirical findings, however, are mixed regarding the relatively greater availability and satisfaction of social support within black families [29][30][31][32] or friends [33,34].…”

Childhood Predictors of an At-Risk Transition into Early Adulthood Among African American and Caucasian Males

“…However, research shows that racial groups do seem to differ in many aspects of daily life. For example, racial groups are different in how cultural and societal values are formed (Sherkat et al 2010), their tolerance or acceptance of some social behaviors (Sherkat et al 2010), how friendship, family, and kinship ties are utilized or viewed (Griffin et al 2006;Walker and Satterwhite 2002), cultural and academic expectations (Walker and Satterwhite 2002), and opinions on seeking the assistance of mental health services and the utilization of organizational involvement, such as a religious affiliations or social clubs, as a social tie or mental health alternative (Griffin et al 2006). Most importantly, racial groups differ in terms of their ability to make specific successful adjustments in adolescence and adulthood.…”

Caregiver Social Support for Children Involved With Child Welfare: Correlates and Racial/Ethnic Variations

“…The term formal social support refers to services provided by professionals (e.g., therapists, physicians, social workers) whereas informal social support is defined as assistance from immediate and extended kin, friends, neighbors, and voluntary associations (Griffin, Amodeo, Clay, Fassler, & Ellis, 2006;Johnson, Thomas, & Matre, 1990). Different social networks may provide closely related but distinct dimensions of formal or informal social support because of the multi-dimensional nature of social support (Cohen & McKay, 1984;Pescosolido & Wright, 2004;Pugliesi & Shook, 1998;Thompson, 1995).…”