Use of social resources by the disabled: primary and secondary group influences

Use of social resources by the disabled in the rehabilitation and recovery process has been viewed primarily as those derived from formal agencies and services. However, the more typical rehabilitation model suggests a negotiated process in which the active patient utilizes not only the formal service system of support (secondary group resources) but other resources that may be available to him, including his personal assets and those sources derived from his informal social network (primary group resources). This study examines the influence of primary and secondary group resources on need levels, i.e., severity of disability, among adult disabled males using data obtained from a national survey in the U.S.A. The availability and use of primary social resources will likely have a positive effect on the disabled's status--on the assumption that these resources mitigate the adverse effects of chronic health conditions. Use of secondary social resources will tend to reflect need and thus more likely be associated with increased severity of disability. The findings are suggestive in that selective personal and social resources of the individual continue to play a role; however, family and kin ties as part of the socially supportive network are less clearly identified from this study. Secondary social resources as formal service supports tend to play a limited role in disability. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of effective utilization of primary social resources that are supportive of an individual's need, and appear to enhance recovery.