Types of Social Support Networks That Can Reduce Parents’ Loneliness

Abstract

is paper examines di erent types of social support networks that can relieve loneliness during parenting. Previous research on the relationship between social support networks and well-being during parenting mostly used cross-sectional data, consisted of women as study subjects, and focused exclusively on private rather than public social support networks. In contrast, this study uses nationwide panel data from Japan to examine the types of social support networks, including both private and public support, that could reduce the loneliness of men and women raising children. e main ndings of this study are as follows. First, a social support network comprising a husband who provides emotional and instrumental support, and friends who provide emotional support tend to reduce mothers loneliness. Second, a social support network comprising a wife who provides emotional support, tsudoi-no-hiroba gathering plazas , and parenting circles tend to relieve fathers loneliness.is paper indicates the possibility that such places could improve fathers well-being by allowing fathers to deepen their relationships with other fathers or their children.