Puerto Rican elderly women: the cultural dimension of social support networks.

This ethnographic study of elderly Puerto Rican women living in Boston explored the influence of cultural meanings on patterns of social interaction and support. Women's roles and social relations were found to reflect the importance of motherhood and domestic responsibilities. With aging, women expect and value respect from their children and younger persons and regard this as even more important than affection. These cultural factors affect friendship selection, family interdependence and exchanges as well as relations with the formal health care system.