Differential Impact of Types of Social Support in the Mental Health of Formerly Incarcerated Latino Men

Abstract

The role of social support in the mental health of formerly incarcerated Latino men (FILM) is an issue overlooked in public health prevention efforts. The objectives of this analysis were to (a) describe the levels of social support perceived and received by FILM; (b) identify the associations, if any, between levels of social support and mental health indicators such as depression and anxiety; and (c) explore the impact of familism and hypermasculinity on the receptivity of social support and the potential role of these factors in mediating associations between social support and mental health indicators. To accomplish the objectives, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with FILM (n = 259), ages 18 to 59, in New York City, and one nominated member of their social network (n = 130 dyads). In this analysis, we examined four dimensions of social support (instrumental, informational, appraisal, and emotional) from two perspectives: provided (as reported by members of the social networks) and perceived (as reported by FILM). The major outcome variables for this analysis were the presence/absence of major anxiety and depressive symptoms. Our logistic regression analyses suggest that perceived emotional support was inversely associated with both anxiety and depression. Our findings suggest that familism mediated the association between perceived emotional support and anxiety/depression. Therefore, we must consider designing network enhancement interventions that focus on both FILM and their social support systems.

The Role of Perceived Social Support in the Psychological Well-Being of Young Offenders: from Pretrial Detention to Correctional Camps

“…Social support is an important factor in mental health and emotional well-being. A number of studies have shown that social support correlates with health maintenance [23], well-being [24], life satisfaction [25] positive and negative mood [26], mental stability and clarity [27] and better mental health outcomes [28]. Many researchers suggest that social support creates a buffer against effects of stressful and traumatic events [29,30] and produces higher levels of self-control and environmental stability [31].…”

HIV-Related Sexual Risk among African American Men Preceding Incarceration: Associations with Support from Significant Others, Family, and Friends

“…Social support is protective against mental disorders and HIV-related drug use and sex risk among those involved in the criminal justice system [19][20][21][22]. In one study, social support indicators, such as social consistency, integration, and extensiveness, were protective against hard drug use and sexual risk behavior among former male inmates during the 6 months after release [19].…”

“…Support from family members, including parents, aunts, and children, has also demonstrated importance [20,21,[30][31][32]. For example, Muñoz-Laboy et al highlighted the role of family in protecting against depression, a consistent HIV risk factor, among formerly incarcerated Latino men [14,21,33].…”

“…For example, Muñoz-Laboy et al highlighted the role of family in protecting against depression, a consistent HIV risk factor, among formerly incarcerated Latino men [14,21,33]. The literature on the relationship between friend support and HIV risk, however, is mixed.…”

Social networks, mental health problems, and mental health service utilization in OEF/OIF National Guard veterans

“…This argument is supported by studies that have found that perceived support mediates the effect of structural support on mental health problems or is a stronger predictor of mental health problems [16,17,21,[58][59][60][61] or of health care utilization [62,63] than structural support. However, concerns have arisen that perceived social support might be influenced by negative mood states [64]. Thus, structural social support may potentially constitute a more ''objective'' way to measure social support because it is less influenced by concurrent mood.…”