A Literature Review: Technology of Social Support for Aging in Place Situation
Introduction
Numbers of studies show that social support benefit not only to reduce mortality (Lyyra & Heikkinen, 2006), but also to enhance health outcomes, such as cancer, heart diseases, immune system, and endocrine system (Uchino, Cacioppo, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 1996).
Studies of social support have different points. Some of studies emphasis the relationship of Social Integration and health outcomes, while some of studies focus on the beneficial effects of Social Relationship and some of studies explores the functions Social Network provided. This literature review accepts the Cohen’s classifications of social support (Cohen, 1988). Cohen and his colleagues described that social support has two measures: structural support measure and functional support measures. “Structural refers to measures describing the interconnections between social ties that is often termed social integration (SI).” SI cares the relationships between perceived availability of support and health outcomes. Functional imply to studying that interpersonal relationships serve particular function (for example, network satisfaction, or psychological support).
Psychosocial Models of Social Support
Two psychosocial models explain the mechanism of that social support effects health. Main-effect model unveils that social support encourages health behaviors to enhance
physical health. Stress-buffering model explains that social support reduces the negative responses of a stress situation that relatives to psychological states, health behaviors, and physical health.
Each model has four perspectives, Information-based models, Identity and Self-esteem models, Social Influence models, and Tangible Resource models, to deduct mechanism to details. Cohen’s review (Cohen, 1988) show the process of that how social support effects health outcome (Table 3&4 in Cohen, 1988).
In main-effect model, information provides resources of health information to engage health behaviors and to make people to avoid stressful situation. Social support also
enhances identity and self-esteem that help people has positive psychological states that contribute to increase motivation to care themselves healthily. When people are under social influence condition, they are forced to have healthful behavior by social
controls and peer pressure. Tangible resource, for example, provided aids, and economic services, prevents slight illness from aggravation to serious disease.
In stress-buffering model, when people face to a threat or harm, they may have overreactions that deleterious to health. Information resource make people to know the threat well and help them to decrease the evaluation of threat or harm, which cause intensive stress appraisal to harm health. Identity and self-esteem solids personal control that le