The journal of behavioral health services & research
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J Behav Health Serv Res · Apr 2005
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyTangled in a web of affiliation: social support networks of dually diagnosed women who are trauma survivors.
The goal of this article is to describe the social support networks of women with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems who are survivors of interpersonal abuse, using baseline interview data from 2 sites (n = 644) from the national Women Co-occurring Disorders and Violence Study. The size and composition of women's networks, the tangible and socioemotional support available, and the stance of the support network toward substance use, treatment, and trauma are described. ⋯ Analyses demonstrated only modest support in either sample for the hypothesis that support network characteristics moderate the effects of traumatic stress on mental health and trauma symptoms among these samples of very burdened and poor women. The results point to the need for using caution in relying on women's existing social support network to help them heal.