Informal Social Support Networks and Subjective Well-Being among African Americans

Abstract

This article examines the influence of sociodemographic and family, friendship, fictive kin, church, and neighbor network variables on two measures of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and happiness) among a national sample of African Americans. The analyses were conducted on the National Survey of Black Americans, a national cross-section study of the adult (age 18 and older) Black population (N = 2,107). Multivariate analyses revealed that sociodemographic (i.e., age, income, region, health, marital status, urbanicity) and social relations and network factors (i.e., subjective family closeness, support from family, number of friends, presence of fictive kin, church attendance, and frequency of contact with neighbors) were significantly associated with subjective well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to previous work on the sociodemographic, health, and social network correlates of subjective well-being.

African American Resiliency: Examining Racial Socialization and Social Support as Protective Factors

“…This finding supports the main hypothesis that social support and racial socialization would predict resiliency in a sample of young African American adults. Both theoretical and empirical research studies of African American populations have noted the inherent role racial socialization and social support has in the lives of African Americans and the protective power of these factors (e.g., Bowman & Howard, 1985;Bynum, Burton, & Best, 2007;Dressler, 1985;Fischer & Shaw, 1999;Murray & Mandara, 2002;Neblett, Philip, Cogburn, & Sellers, 2006;Pipes-McAdoo, 1998;Scott, 2003;Stevenson, 1994;Stevenson et al, 2002;Taylor et al, 2001;Zimmerman et al, 2000). Additionally, this finding is consistent with previous resiliency studies that have found cultural factors to have an important role in African Americans ability to overcome adversity (e.g., Sellers & Shelton, 2003;Utsey et al, 2007).…”

Control perceptions and control appraisal: Relation to measures of subjective well-being

“…Social support, for example, is not only significantly associated with subjective well-being but it is also related to positive effect, better coping response, reduction of depressive symptoms and negative affect. [26][27][28][29][30] Adolescents with high levels of social support network report better psychological health and adjustment because social support network is a key intervening variable in physical and mental health. 26 Similarly, self acceptance, a sense of purpose in life, and personal growth are importantly related to subjective well-being particularly during the crucial stage of human development called adolescence.…”

Happiness as a Goal of Counseling: Cross-cultural Implications

“…Some studies indicate that happiness is associated with cultural ways and values and not essentially dependent upon conditions such as money, social-class status and Western materialism and conveniences of comfort (Biswas-Diener et al 2005;Taylor et al 2001). For example, Biswas-Diener et al found that three ethnic groups who lived materially simple or somewhat Spartan lives were happy and fulfilled.…”

“…In a national study of African Americans (n=2,107) in the USA, Taylor et al (2001) found that sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, income, geographic region, health, marital status and urbanicity) and social relations and network factors (e.g., subjective family closeness, support from family, number of friends, church attendance and frequency of contact with neighbors) were significantly associated with subjective well-being or happiness.…”