Theorising inequalities in the experience and management of chronic illness: Bringing social networks and social capital back in (critically)

Abstract

Social networks have been a central focus of sociological research on inequalities but less has focused specifically on chronic illness and disability despite a policy emphasis on resources necessary to support self-management. In this chapter, we seek to unpack overlaps and distinctions between social network approaches and research on the experience and management of chronic illness. We outline four main areas viewed as central in articulating the potential for future work consistent with a critical realist perspective: (1) body–society connections and realist/relativist tensions; (2) the controversy of ‘variables’ and accounting for social and cultural context in studying networks for chronic illness support; (3) conceptualising social support, network ties and the significance of organizations and technology; and (4) translating theory into method.

Citation

Sanders, C. and Rogers, A. (2007), "Theorising inequalities in the experience and management of chronic illness: Bringing social networks and social capital back in (critically)", Jacobs Kronenfeld, J. (Ed.) Inequalities and Disparities in Health Care and Health: Concerns of Patients, Providers and Insurers (Research in the Sociology of Health Care, Vol. 25), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 15-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0275-4959(07)00002-6