Ethnicity and informal supports among older adults

This article examines patterns of ethnic variability in informal familial and extrafamilial sources of social support. Data derived from a stratified random sample of people age 65 and over residing in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada are used to compare five different ethnic groups in terms of various aspects of support (including availability, interactions, satisfaction, exchanges of assistance and support, and confidant relationships). The analyses reveal similarities as well as differences among the groups. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of attempts to conceptualize patterns of ethnic variability in informal networks on the basis of distinctions between "traditional" extended family and lineal authority structures, and more "modern" nuclear family and collateral authority structures.