Those responsible for the care of another human being, such as a child, an elderly parent, or an ailing spouse, often need help and support. Carepooling is the act of caregivers exchanging day-to-day help and support. This book offers simple, effective, practical ways to exchange help and share support with friends, neighbors, and co-workers.…

Little is known about how restructuring networks actually affect the cultures of school systems. This report examines the creation of an "island" of reform in a school district in northwest Ohio. The research emanated from the discovery of a new "island" in northwest Ohio called the Pathfinder Network. The group formed through…

Teaching communication skills to families with a dying member presents unique challenges. As M. R. Parks' critique of interpersonal communication literature suggests, it is important to keep in mind the larger social context surrounding the person dying and to maintain a balanced perspective of information exchange (e.g., self-disclosure) and…

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine if and how human information behaviour (HIB) research is used by others. Method: Using ISI Web of Knowledge, a citation analysis was conducted on 155 English-language HIB articles published from 1993 to 2000 in six prominent LIS journals. The bibliometric core of 12 papers was identified.…

The lives of adult women tend to be framed by emotional relationships created early in the life course that reflect the social roles of daughter, friend, wife, and mother. These bonds, often long-term, persist in later adult life and shape decisions made about job and career trajectories through their implementation or not in the social networks…

This paper describes the structure of a superintendent network in each of two western states (Washington and Idaho); what the networks look like; and how superintendent attributes such as age, ethnicity, gender, salary, years of experience, and size of school district influence the network. The study further compares similarities and differences…

This study examined the quality of relations characterizing adolescents' social environments and related variations in the quality of relations to associates' social roles and to the gender and culture of both associates and subjects. It investigated whether adolescents from Japan and from the United States described their relationships with…

Research in the areas of social networks and social support has illustrated some of the complex ways in which those areas contribute to health. A study was conducted to examine the structure of social support among older women, its influences on physical and emotional health status and on behaviors associated with increased risk of chronic…

Stress and social networks have been proposed as important determinants of parenting. In addition, parental social networks have been thought to influence child outcomes directly. Few studies, however, have examined all three areas concurrently. In the present study, which focused on the associations between parenting and children's competence in…

Since many older Americans rely on family, friends, and neighbors to provide help in time of need, some assessment of how well these support systems work seems justified. A telephone survey was conducted to examine demographic characteristics, access to helpers, and well-being of three groups of noninstitutionalized older adults: (1) Group 1…

A conceptual framework for studying the role of social support in explaining family caregivers' psychological well-being is developed in this paper. In particular, the framework presented emphasizes the importance of conceptualizing caregiving as a social status, and drawing upon the broader literature on status acquisitions, social support, and…

Although recent research suggests that individuals active in social protest in the 1960's maintain their activist identities, the structural links which allow the continuity have yet to be identified. A review of research reveals that the continuity of self-identification, political attitudes and activities, and occupational choices is influenced…

Assessed impact of short-term university training program for increasing social service professionals' (N=90) ability to work with families and develop linkages with informal support network of the elderly. Found that respondent's level of comfort increased significantly and that 29 percent of participants indicated changes occurred in agency…

The unity and sisterhood of women in South Africa is analyzed. The struggle for liberation from apartheid has resulted in the death of many children. Women have organized self-help groups in the memory of these children. The groups make handicrafts, give aid to the poor, and encourage educational pursuits. (VM)

A small peer support group for women in middle management positions provides a mechanism for broadening perspectives, generating alternative solutions to managerial problems, and enhancing professional and personal esteem. (MLF)