Social Support Networks and Maternal Mental Health and Well-Being

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1386-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra B. Balaji ◽  
Angelika H. Claussen ◽  
D. Camille Smith ◽  
Susanna N. Visser ◽  
Melody Johnson Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Health And Well Being

scholarly journals An Integrated Approach to Improve Maternal Mental Health and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Shidhaye ◽  
Purnima Madhivanan ◽  
Pallavi Shidhaye ◽  
Karl Krupp
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to disruption of normal life across the globe, severely affecting the already vulnerable populations such as the pregnant women. Maternal mental health and well-being is a public health priority and the evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on mental health status of pregnant women is gradually emerging. The findings of the recently published studies suggest that increased risk perception about contracting COVID-19, reduced social support, increase in domestic violence, disruption of antenatal care, and economic consequences of COVID-19 mitigation strategies can lead to adverse mental health outcomes in antenatal period. There is a significant increase in antenatal depression and anxiety since the onset of COVID-19 and social determinants of health (e.g., younger age, lower education, lower income) are associated with these poor outcomes. In this paper, we propose an integrated approach to improve the mental health and well-being of pregnant women. Physical activity and/or mind-body interventions like yoga can be practiced as self-care interventions by pregnant women. Despite social distancing being the current norm, efforts should be made to strengthen social support. Evidence-based interventions for perinatal depression should be integrated within the health system and stepped, collaborative care using non-specialist health workers as key human resource be utilized to improve access to mental health services. Use of digital platforms and smartphone enabled delivery of services has huge potential to further improve the access to care. Most importantly, the COVID-19 related policy guidelines should categorically include maternal mental health and well-being as a priority area.

Saving as a Path for Female Empowerment and Entrepreneurship in Rural Peru

2021 ◽  
pp. 146499342110352
Author(s):  
Marianne Daher ◽  
Antonia Rosati ◽  
Andrea Jaramillo
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Female Empowerment ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Considerable Advantage ◽  
The Future ◽  
Women's Lives

Much research has identified the difficulties of promoting women’s empowerment using microcredit, but there has been little research on the potential for empowerment from promoting women’s savings. We address this gap through a qualitative study of three women’s savings programmes in the Highlands of Peru. The results reveal changes in several domains of women’s lives (economic, personal and relational), emphasizing that these programmes enable them to think about the future, expand their social support networks, and become entrepreneurs. We conclude that savings interventions have considerable advantage over microcredit programmes for facilitating female empowerment and that the merits of these interventions go far beyond financial inclusion with significant impacts on women’s psychosocial well-being and broader empowerment.

scholarly journals Building and Connecting: Family Strategies for Developing Social Support Networks for Adults With Down Syndrome

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Roll ◽  
Barbara J. Bowers
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
The Social ◽  
Professional Resources

Being embedded in social networks is crucial for well-being and health. While this is particularly the case for people with Down syndrome (DS), our knowledge of how their support networks are developed is limited. This article investigates the role of family members in developing and maintaining the social support networks of their adult children with DS. Based on 29 interviews with family members, a grounded theory study was conducted. The Family Building and Connecting (BAC) framework was developed, which distinguishes a “building” and a “connecting” approach. The building approach includes strategies that rely on family members and close friends for building a support network for the person with DS. The connecting approach includes strategies that connect the person with DS to external and often professional resources and services. Distinguishing these approaches is important for future research and for strengthening the support networks of people with DS and their families.

scholarly journals Masculinity, Social Connectedness, and Mental Health: Men’s Diverse Patterns of Practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1247-1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. McKenzie ◽  
Sunny Collings ◽  
Gabrielle Jenkin ◽  
Jo River
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Patterns Of Practice

Men’s mental health has remained undertheorized, particularly in terms of the gendered nature of men’s social relations. While the importance of social connections and strong supportive networks for improving mental health and well-being is well documented, we know little about men’s social support networks or how men go about seeking or mobilizing social support. An in-depth understanding of the gendered nature of men’s social connections and the ways in which the interplay between masculinity and men’s social connections can impact men’s mental health is needed. Fifteen life history interviews were undertaken with men in the community. A theoretical framework of gender relations was used to analyze the men’s interviews. The findings provide rich insights into men’s diverse patterns of practice in regards to seeking or mobilizing social support. While some men differentiated between their social connections with men and women, others experienced difficulties in mobilizing support from existing connections. Some men maintained a desire to be independent, rejecting the need for social support, whereas others established support networks from which they could actively seek support. Overall, the findings suggest that patterns of social connectedness among men are diverse, challenging the social science literature that frames all men’s social relationships as being largely instrumental, and men as less able and less interested than women in building emotional and supportive relationships with others. The implications of these findings for promoting men’s social connectedness and mental health are discussed.

scholarly journals The social support networks of elderly people in Slovenia during the Covid-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Cugmas ◽  
Anuška Ferligoj ◽  
Tina Kogovšek ◽  
Zenel Batagelj
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Ego Networks ◽  
The Social

Population ageing requires society to adjust by ensuring additional types of services and assistance for elderly people. These may be provided by either organized services and sources of informal social support. The latter is especially important since a lack of social support is associated with a lower level of psychological and physical well-being. During the Covid-19 pandemic, social support for the elderly has proven to be even more crucial, also due to physical distancing. Therefore, this study aims to identify and describe the various types of personal social support networks of the elderly population during the coronavirus pandemic. To this end, a survey of Slovenians older than 64 years was conducted from April 25 to May 4, 2020 on a probability Web-panel-based sample (n = 605). The ego-networks were clustered by a hierarchical clustering approach for symbolic data. Clustering was performed for different types of social support (socializing, instrumental support, emotional support) and different characteristics of the social support networks (i.e., type of relationship, number of contacts, geographical distance). The results show that most of the elderly population in Slovenia have a satisfactory social support network, while the share of those without any (accessible) source of social support is significant. The results are particularly valuable for sustainable care policy planning, crisis intervention planning as well as any future waves of the coronavirus.

scholarly journals The structure and functional correlates of social support networks of people in advanced old age living in chosen urban and rural areas in Poland: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. B. Wojszel ◽  
B. Politynska
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older People ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Functional Disability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Network Type

Abstract The purpose of the study was to identify the different types of social support networks (SSNs) among community-dwelling people aged 75+ years in selected areas of Poland, and to evaluate any associations between the network type and demographic and health variables of the population studied. The two most prevalent SSN types identified using the Practitioner Assessment of Network Type were “family dependent” (35.8%) and “locally integrated” (32.2%). “Local self-contained” (6.4%), “wider community focused” (2.8%) and “private restricted” (5.6%) SSNs were observed less frequently. In 17.2% of cases, it was not possible to identify the type of network unequivocally. Older people with a locally integrated SSN, in contrast to the family dependent type, were generally younger, living alone, and less likely to be homebound, rate their health as poor, suffer from depression or dementia, and had lower levels of functional disability. Locally integrated SSNs are recognized in the literature as being the most robust in terms of facilitating well-being and providing sufficient support to help maintain the older person in the community. This may reflect the higher levels of independence of older people able to sustain these support networks, which are then transformed into family-dependent types as their health deteriorates, but confirmation of this would require prospective studies. An improved understanding of the prevalence of different types of social networks among older people in Poland would help to guide a systematic approach to recognizing unmet needs in this population and provide crucial information in the planning of formal services.

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