TY - JOUR
T1 - Do the sources of the urban elderly's social support determine its psychological consequences?
AU - Felton, B. J.
AU - Berry, C. A.
PY - 1992/3
Y1 - 1992/3
N2 - This article examines whether the psychological impact of different kinds of social supports varies according to who provides them. Data on 82 older adults' social relationships, measured as social provisions (Weiss, 1974), were used to evaluate whether the relationship between social provisions and emotional well-being varied when kin and, alternatively, nonkin, made the provisions. Findings showed that, although most social provisions were valuable regardless of their source, reassurance of worth was distinctly more beneficial when provided by nonkin than by kin, and reliable alliance, or instrumental assistance, was more strongly related to well-being when provided by kin than by nonkin. Analysis of social network structure showed that "multiplexity" was negatively related to well-being, and having duplicate providers for a given social provision was uniquely important in offsetting negative affect.
AB - This article examines whether the psychological impact of different kinds of social supports varies according to who provides them. Data on 82 older adults' social relationships, measured as social provisions (Weiss, 1974), were used to evaluate whether the relationship between social provisions and emotional well-being varied when kin and, alternatively, nonkin, made the provisions. Findings showed that, although most social provisions were valuable regardless of their source, reassurance of worth was distinctly more beneficial when provided by nonkin than by kin, and reliable alliance, or instrumental assistance, was more strongly related to well-being when provided by kin than by nonkin. Analysis of social network structure showed that "multiplexity" was negatively related to well-being, and having duplicate providers for a given social provision was uniquely important in offsetting negative affect.
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U2 - 10.1037/0882-7974.7.1.89
DO - 10.1037/0882-7974.7.1.89
M3 - Article
C2 - 1558710
AN - SCOPUS:0026826663
SN - 0882-7974
VL - 7
SP - 89
EP - 97
JO - Psychology and aging
JF - Psychology and aging
IS - 1
ER -