Social
Support/Lack of Social Connectedness
Social support is
informal access to mutual aid and comfort provided by individuals and
a social network. Social networks encompass the nurturing and coping
relationships that are used to deal with events of daily life. Social
support has at least three dimensions: emotional/spiritual, informational
and practical:
- Emotional
and spiritual support: the informal mutual interactions of comfort,
nurturing and sharing with family, friends, peers and others in a
social network.
- Informational
support: the many forms of knowledge and skills gleaned from individuals
in a social network.
- Practical
support: the supportive exchange of physical help by members of
a social network. This includes informal access to labor for short-term
projects as well as long-term care giving and financial support.
Social support can
mitigate the effects of other determinants of health. To be consistent
in its approach, the Work Group decided to frame this determinant in
terms of lack of social support--lack of social connectedness.