TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Cultural Mechanisms in the Exchange of Social Support Among Puerto Ricans After a Natural Disaster
JO  - Qualitative health research
A1  - Rivera, Fernando I.
SP  - 801
EP  - 809
VL  - 22
IS  - 6
N2  - In this study, I uncovered the dynamics involved in the exchange (or lack) of social support among a group of Puerto Ricans who experienced a natural disaster. I coded and analyzed 12 semistructured qualitative interviews. My analysis of the interviews revealed that a reported high degree of need was not associated with any type of help seeking from the respondents' social support networks. Relevant issues that arose in explaining the lack of social support exchanges were level of comfort in help seeking and cultural issues. My findings point to the importance of culture in shaping patterns of help-seeking behavior in the aftermath of a disaster. Two of the most salient cultural explanations as to why disaster victims were reluctant to ask for help from family and friends were the issues of confianza (trust) and pena (embarrassment). I discuss the results with reference to how they might help in planning and establishing programs to maximize help seeking among Latinos/as in an emergency situation.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1049-7323
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732311432719
ID  - ref1
ER  -