Family circumstances: aggression and mental health of family members

Abstract

Regarding health status, it is widely accepted that social groups, including family, are an important component (Gabe et al., 2004). For this reason, sociologists are conducting numerous studies on the concept of social support. Social support refers to the various resources that help individuals cope with these problems during times of crisis. In other words, the concept generally encompasses social relationships and social relationship networks and aims to protect the individual from the negative effects of stress or other problems that cause it. At this point, it is possible to mention a positive relationship between social support and well-being and perception. Family and friends are the primary sources of social support. Various studies (Quah, 2010) have shown that individuals who receive or perceive a high level of social support have lower stress levels and better health status compared to others. Social support has a positive function in increasing a person's self-confidence and self-esteem. It is quite effective in the patient's recovery process. In addition to all these positive effects, it has been obtained from different studies (Wainwright, 2008; Quah, 2010) that in cases where social support is absent or insufficient, negative developments occur in the psychological and biological well-being of the individual. The effect of social support is not limited only to the period after the onset of the disease. In other words, the lifestyle understanding and habits of social relationships - which can be grouped under the heading of cultural and social capital - also affect the health phenomenon. Those who have a cultural heritage such as exercising, eating regularly, and paying attention to what they eat may have better health status than others