Families, social support, and self-care among older African-American women with chronic illness. American journal of health promotion : AJHP [Am J Health Promot] Journal article | | Title | Families, social support, and self-care among older African-American women with chronic illness. | | Author(s) | Warren-Findlow J, Prohaska TR | | Institution | Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001, USA. jwarren1@uncc.edu | | Source | Am J Health Promot 2008 May-Jun; 22(5):342-9. | | Abstract | PURPOSE: This study describes the specific type and extent of social support provided by family members to older African-American women managing chronic disease.
DESIGN: Qualitative study with multiple in-depth interviews conducted over a 2-year time period.
SETTING: Participants were interviewed in their homes in a large Midwestern city.
PARTICIPANTS: This was a purposeful study group of 12 middle-aged and older African-American women with diagnosed early-stage heart disease and other comorbidities.
METHODS: Data were collected on women's beliefs about their heart disease and their descriptions of how family members helped or inhibited their self-care practices. Women's descriptions of family social support were analyzed as to the type and influence.
RESULTS: Most women lived in interdependent, multigenerational situations with family members providing: instrumental support; a passive form of informational support based on family history of heart disease that was used to make health comparisons and evaluate heart health; and behavioral support, which emerged, in terms of reinforcement or discouragement of lifestyle behavior changes, as a sometimes significant barrier to practicing chronic illness self-care.
CONCLUSION: These findings, while not statistically representative, demonstrate the significant influence that family members have on older women's chronic illness self-care activities. The positive and sometimes negative effects of living with multiple generations suggest the need for culturally relevant, family-based, chronic illness interventions for African-Americans. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 18517095 |
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