Despite an abundant literature on social support and health, relatively less is known about how support and its impact on physical health vary within the Black population. Using the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), this paper examines which sources and types of support are associated with physical health among African Americans, U.S.-born Caribbean Blacks and foreign-born Caribbean Blacks. The results showed that for U.S.-born Caribbean Blacks, being married was especially beneficial to health. Closeness to family was associated with better health while negative interactions with family members was associated with worse health for African Americans and foreign-born Caribbean Blacks. Different sources of instrumental support affected all three groups. Overall, the findings reveal that, among Black Americans, the association between social support and physical health is contingent upon ethnicity, nativity, and the ways in which social support and health are operationalized. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Social support National Survey of American Life Caribbean Blacks Black Americans Physical health

West Indies human middle aged Ethnic Groups ethnic group health status Health Surveys social support ethnology African American Humans male female Caribbean Islands Caribbean Region Caribbean adult African Americans health survey