Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Patterns of Emotional Social Support and Negative Interactions among African American and Black Caribbean Extended Families

  • ARTICLES
  • Published:
Journal of African American Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines patterns of emotional support and negative interaction (i.e., criticism, conflict) from extended family members using data on African Americans and Caribbean Blacks from the National Survey of American Life. A pattern variable was constructed that describes four types of extended family networks: (1) high emotional support and high negative interaction (ambivalent), (2) high emotional support and low negative interaction (optimal), (3) low emotional support and low negative interaction (estranged) and (4) low emotional support and high negative interaction (strained). Multi-nominal logistic regression was used to investigate the sociodemographic and familial (e.g., frequency of family contact) correlates of the patterns of extended family networks. Family closeness and contact, as well as gender, age and marital status were associated with extended family network types. Optimal family networks were associated with higher levels of family contact and closeness; women, younger adults and unmarried persons were more likely than their counterparts to have more advantageous extended family networks. Overall, findings for African Americans and Caribbean Blacks revealed both important similarities (e.g., gender, marital status, family closeness and contact) and differences (e.g., age) in the sociodemographic and familial correlates of diverse extended family networks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agresti, A. (1990). Categorical data analysis. New York, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Almeida, D. A., & Horn, M. C. (2004). Life more stressful during middle adulthood? In O. G. Brim, C. D. Ryff, & R. C. Kessler (Eds.), How healthy are we? A national study of well-being at midlife (pp. 425–451). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Association for Public Opinion Research. (2006). Standard definitions: Final dispositions of case codes and outcome rates for surveys (4th ed.). Lenexa, Kansas: AAPOR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnold, E. (2012). Working with families of African Caribbean origin: understanding issues around immigration and attachment. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, L., Mendes de Leon, C., Wilson, R., Bienias, J., & Evans, D. (2004). Social resources and cognitive decline in a population of older African Americans and whites. Neurology, 63(12), 2322–2326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrow, C. (1999). Family in the Caribbean: themes and perspectives. Princeton, NJ: Marcus Wiener.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bashi, V. F. (2007). Survival of the knitted: immigrant social networks in a stratified world. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. (1983). The assessment of social networks and social support in the elderly. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 31(12), 743–749.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolger, N., DeLongis, A., Kessler, R. C., & Schilling, E. A. (1989). Effects of daily stress on negative mood. Journal of Personality and Psychology, 57(5), 808–818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, C. M., Conger, R. D., & Meehan, J. M. (2001). The influence of in-laws on change in marital success. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 63, 614–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, M. (1999). The family as model and metaphor in Caribbean migration to Britain. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 25(2), 251–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, M. (2003). Rethinking Caribbean families: extending the links. Community, Work & Family, 6(1), 63–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., & Jackson, J. S. (1985). Size and composition of the informal helper networks of elderly Blacks. Journal of Gerontology, 40, 605–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., & Jackson, J. S. (1986). Aged Blacks’ choices for an informal helper network. Journal of Gerontology, 41, 94–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chevannes, B. (2001). Jamaican diasporic identity: the metaphor of yaad. In P. Taylor (Ed.), Nation dance: religion, identity and cultural difference in the Caribbean (pp. 129–137). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Skoner, D. P., Rabin, B. S., & Gwaltney, J. M. (1997). Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 1940–1944.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglass, L. (1992). The power of sentiment: love, hierarchy, and the Jamaican family elite. Boulder, CO: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, K., & Retrum, J. (2012). Framework for isolation in adults over 50: AARP Foundation Isolation Framework Project. San Diego, CA: ResearchWorks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foner, N. (2005). In a new land: a comparative view of immigration. New York, NY: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, B. A., & Keith, V. M. (2003). The benefits and costs of social support for African American women. In D. Brown & V. M. Keith (Eds.), In and out of our right minds: the mental health of African American women (pp. 242–257). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gussler, J. (1999). Adaptive strategies and social networks of women in St. Kitts. In C. Barrow (Ed.), Family in the Caribbean: themes and perspective (pp. 119–135). Princeton, NJ: Marcus Wiener.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho, C. (1991). Salt water trinnies: Afro-Trinidadian immigrants networks and non-assimilation in Los Angeles. New York, NY: AMS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho, C. (1993). The internationalization of kinship and the feminization of Caribbean migration: the case of Afro-Trinidadian immigrants in Los Angeles. Human Organization, 52(1), 32–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. S., Torres, M., Caldwell, C. H., et al. (2004). The National Survey of American Life: a study of racial, ethnic and cultural influences on mental disorders and mental health. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 13, 196–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joe, S., Baser, R. E., Breeden, G., Neighbors, H. W., & Jackson, J. S. (2006). Prevalence of and risk factors for lifetime suicide attempts among Blacks in the Unites States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 296, 2112–2123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, A. C., Atienza, A., Castro, C., & Collins, R. (2002). Physiological and affective response to family caregiving in the natural setting in wives versus daughters. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 9(3), 176–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lien-Gieschen, T. (1993). Validation of social isolation related to maturational age: elderly. Nursing diagnosis: ND. The Official Journal of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, 4(1), 37–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D. (2000). Social support, negative social interactions, and psychological well-being. The Social Service Review, 74, 231–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J. (2003a). Psychological distress among Black and White Americans: differential effects of social support, negative interaction and personal control. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44, 390–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2003b). Correlates of emotional support and negative interaction among Black Americans. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 53B, S225–S233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J. (2005). Social support, traumatic events and depressive symptoms among African Americans. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 67, 754–766.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D., Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., & Jackson, J. S. (2007). Profiles of depressive symptoms among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. Social Science & Medicine, 65, 200–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D., Taylor, R. J., Bullard, K. M., et al. (2010). Emotional support, negative interaction and DSM IV lifetime disorders among older African Americans: findings from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25, 612–621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D., Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., & Joe, S. (2012). Suicide, negative interaction and emotional support among Black Americans. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47, 1947–1958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K.D., Taylor, R.J., & Chatters, L.M. (2013). Correlates of emotional support and negative interaction among African Americans and Black Caribbeans. Journal of Family Issues. In press

  • Mendenhall, R., Bowman, P. J., & Zhang, L. (2013). Single black mothers’ role strain and adaptation across the life course. Journal of African American Studies, 17, 74–98. doi:10.1007/s12111-012-9220-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neighbors, H. W. (1997). Husbands, wives, family, and friends: sources of stress, sources of support. In R. J. Taylor, J. S. Jackson, & L. M. Chatters (Eds.), Family life in Black America (pp. 227–292). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newsom, J. T., Nishishiba, M., Morgan, D. L., & Rook, K. S. (2003). The relative importance of three domains of positive and negative social exchanges: a longitudinal model with comparable measures. Psychology and Aging, 18(4), 746–754.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okun, M. A., & Keith, V. M. (1998). Effects of positive and negative social exchanges with various sources on depressive symptoms in younger and older adults. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 53B, P4–P20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olwig, K. F. (2007). Caribbean journeys: an ethnography of migration and home in three family networks. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rook, K. S. (1984). The negative side of social interaction: impact on psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(5), 1097–1108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, T., & Chen, X. (2002). Risk and protective factors for physical functioning in older adults with and without chronic conditions: MacArthur studies of successful aging. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 57B(3), S135–S144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serewicz, M. C., & Canary, D. J. (2008). Assessments of disclosure from the in-laws: links among disclosure topics, family privacy orientations, and relational quality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 25(2), 333–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. T. (1996). The matrifocal family: power, pluralism, and politics. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stack, C. B., & Burton, L. M. (1993). Kinscripts. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 24, 157–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanne, D., Goldbourt, U., & Medalie, J. H. (2004). Perceived family difficulties and prediction of 23-year stroke mortality among middle-aged men. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 18, 277–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Brown, E., Chatters, L. M., & Lincoln, K. D. (2012). Extended family support and relationship satisfaction among married, cohabitating, and romantically involved African Americans and Black Caribbeans. Journal of African American Studies, 16(3), 373–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, P., & Bauer, E. (2000). Jamaican transnational families: points of pain and sources of resilience. Wadabagei: A Journal of the Caribbean and its Diaspora, 3, 1–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uchino, B. N., Holt-Lunstad, J., Uno, D., & Flinders, J. B. (2001). Heterogeneity in the social networks of young and older adults: prediction of mental health and cardiovascular reactivity during acute stress. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 24, 361–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uchino, B. N., Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. W., & Bloor, L. (2004). Heterogeneity in social networks: a comparison of different models linking relationships to psychological outcomes. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 123–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, J., & Herbitter, C. (2005). Aging in the shadows: social isolation among seniors in New York City. United Neighborhood Houses of New York. Retrieved from: www.unhny.org

  • Waters, M. (1999). Black identities: West Indian immigrant dreams and American realities. New York, NY: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wethington, E., & Kessler, R. C. (1986). Perceived support, received support, and adjustment to stressful life events. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 27(1), 78–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D. R., Gonzalez, H. M., Neighbors, H. W., et al. (2007). Prevalence and distribution of major depressive disorder in African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and Non-Hispanic Whites. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 305–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zatura, A. J., Burleson, M. H., Matt, K. S., Roth, S., & Burrows, L. (1994). Interpersonal stress, depression, and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients. Health Psychology, 13(2), 139–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Michigan, MI, USA

    Robert Joseph Taylor

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI, USA

    Ivy Forsythe-Brown

  3. George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Harry Owen Taylor

  4. School of Social Work, School of Public Health, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Linda M. Chatters

Authors
  1. Robert Joseph Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ivy Forsythe-Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Harry Owen Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Linda M. Chatters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Joseph Taylor.

Additional information

The data on which this study is based is supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; U01-MH57716) with supplemental support from the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Michigan. The preparation of this manuscript was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging to Dr. Taylor (P30-AG15281).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Taylor, R.J., Forsythe-Brown, I., Taylor, H.O. et al. Patterns of Emotional Social Support and Negative Interactions among African American and Black Caribbean Extended Families. J Afr Am St 18, 147–163 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-013-9258-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-013-9258-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation