Abstract

PINHEIRO DE PAULA-COUTO, MARIA CLARA; KOLLER, SÍLVIA HELENA; NOVO, ROSA  and  SANCHEZ-SOARES, PEDRO. Adaptation and Use of a Social Support Network Measure to a Sample of Brazilian Older Persons. Univ. Psychol. [online]. 2008, vol.7, n.2, pp.493-505. ISSN 1657-9267.

This study aims to adapt a social support measure - The Convoy of Social Support - to older persons in Brazil. Participants were 15 older persons (10 women and five men) selected from a larger sample of older persons (N = 81). The mean age of the participants was 69.6 years old (SD = 7.45). The diagram was individually applied. The Convoy of Social Support approach applied to older persons revealed itself as an easy and useful instrument to assess their social support network. An important aspect of it is that both structural and functional aspects of the social network are considered. Researchers have been pointing to the fact that if the quantity of support is an important feature of social support, it is the quality of it that promotes individual well-being.

Keywords : Social Support Network; Older Persons; Convoy Model; Life-Span Development; Social Capital; Frail Elderly; State Aid.

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