CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS OF LOW SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS AFRICAN-AMERICAN, ANGLO-AMERICAN, AND MEXICAN-AMERICAN MOTHERS OF FULL-TERM AND PRETERM INFANTS

This study examined the relation of ethnicity to two aspects of mother s' social support: structure (friends vs family) and quality (satisfac tion vs. aggravation) for mothers from low socioeconomic (SES) backgro unds in three ethnic groups-Anglo American (n = 53), African American (n = 50), and Mexican American (n = 42). Mothers of both preterm (n = 81) and full-term infants (n = 64) were included. Mothers from Mexican American backgrounds had fewer friends in their networks when compare d with mothers in the African American and Angle American groups. Whil e there were no significant effects for ethnicity on support satisfact ion, mothers overall reported more satisfaction with support received from friends rather than family. African American mothers reported sig nificantly more aggravation in their support systems than the other tw o groups. This was not due to differences for these mothers in their S ES or marital status, and are discussed in relation to community diffe rences that appear to be present for this ethnic group. The clinical i mportance of considering ethnic backgrounds when serving mothers with young children are discussed. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.