Family Communication of Social Support During Health-Related Crises: a Hispanic Perspective
This thesis addressed the need for better understanding regarding cultural patterns and pressures influencing family communication during health-related crises. A Hispanic perspective was taken as HIspanics represent a growing and important part of the United States' population. Social support was defined as a communicative phenomenon and is explored in terms of who provides support, the types of support provided, what is perceived as supportive or unsupportive and ways Hispanic patients communicatively seek support within the family. Due to the exploratory nature of this investigation, qualitative research design was utilized. Both in-depth interviews and a diary method were chosed for data collection. Analysis of the data reveals Hispanic family communication patterns and issues not present in past studies examining Anglo populations.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations