Editor's note: In The WellNest Watch, master's degree candidates in the public health program at EMU's School of Health Promotion and Human Performance explore news, research and standard practices in the field of health and wellness.
Ebrima Jobarteh is a graduate assistant in EMU's Office of Health Promotion.
Today, stress has overwhelmingly become a risk factor for many behaviors. From increased crime rates, suicidal tendencies, family disharmony and academic setbacks to impulsive behaviors such as spontaneous tantrums, stress provokes reactions that make one’s situation worse than it initially was. Fortunately, some avenues mitigate these situations for people who have identified and utilized them. This is called social support.
Social support can include: financial and transportation support; emotional support expressed as love, empathy, trust and care; informational support such as directions, advice and suggestions; appraisals such as constructive criticism, feedback, affirmation and praise; physical support; and professional support. Social networks, on the other hand, are the means through which people get social support. These could range from individuals, groups, neighborhoods, places of worship, parks and recreation centers, workspaces, cooperatives and the wider society.
Social supports exist for a reason – to help the ones in need when in need. However, social support without identifiable social networks defeats the purpose. Social networks are defined by density (i.e. how well your networks know each other), complexity (i.e. the different types of individuals/groups or support systems in one’s network), intensity (i.e. closeness of social networks), homogeneity (i.e. individuals or groups with similar characteristics), geographic dispersion (i.e. where one’s social networks reside) and reciprocity (extent to which support is given and received).
Identifying one's social networks helps one to know whom to turn to for a particular need. From a public health perspective, social networks provide accurate information, timely access to treatment at healthcare facilities, early help and reduced rates of isolation.
With rising costs of housing and basic commodities, coupled with erratic adverse weather conditions, identifying one’s social networks and gaining support from them can reduce the stress that comes with these daily struggles and lessen the mental health sequelae that emanate from them.
Eastern Michigan University provides numerous resources, such as the Swoop’s pantry, the Women’s Resource Center, the Office of Access and Opportunity, and other academic and financial resources, for students to use as they navigate life on and off campus.
