The Many Layers of Social Support: Capturing the Voices of Young People with Spina Bifida and Their Parents
Date: 2009
Author(s): Antle, B.J., Montgomery, G., & Stapleford, C.
Journal: Health & Social Work, 34(2), 97-106
This qualitative study involved 50 participants (21 youths with spina bifida and 29 parents) and focused on gaining an insider’s perspective on the nature of social support. Themes were mapped into four broad support domains: tangible, information, companionship/belonging/mutuality, and emotional. This research indicates that parents provide substantial all-purpose support in each of the four domains. A second major finding shows that support from peers and friends follows a unique and varied path with distinctive characteristics related to the realities of living with a disability. Implications for social work practice with targeted populations and systems are considered.
