Pathways Through Which Social Support Influences Self-Management Practices Among Mid- to Late-Life African American Women

Social support is a complex multidimensional construct, and research indicates that social support can be beneficial to the recipients. However, research also suggests that without an optimal match, social support can also be less satisfying to recipients. Because social support involves both a provider and a recipient, the possibility of mismatch between the intention of the support giver and perception of the support receiver is likely to occur. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between support providers and those receiving support among mid- to late-life African American women with chronic conditions. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 women to discuss what type of social support they received from their primary relationship (i.e., daughter or best friend) in managing their chronic conditions. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and data analyzed with dyadic narrative analysis. Prior to each discussion, a quantitative questionnaire assessed the various type of social support received and type of self-management practices performed. The quantitative study analyzed social support as the mixed predictor variable, types of relationships as the between-dyads variable, and self-management practices as the outcome variable. Results indicated that age of the recipient, number of chronic conditions, and friends' social support were important predictors of the type of self-management practices. In addition, narrative analysis identified the different patterns of social support among relationships. Daughters provided more instrumental support while friends provided more emotional support. The results have implications in designing specific support programs among relationships for African American women with chronic conditions.