The social support system of the Japanese elderly.

The social support system of the Japanese elderly was observed in a national representative sample of elderly community residents. Perceived availability of emotional and instrumental support from family members, children living apart, siblings and relatives, neighbors, and friends was respectively estimated. For both emotional and instrumental support, the perceived most dependable source of support was family members living together, followed by children living apart, while neighbors and friends were less dependable sources of support. The results clearly indicated family-centrality in the social support system of the Japanese elderly. However, the results also indicated differential roles of family members, children living apart, and non-kin others in the social support system of the elderly, and suggested the need to observe dyadic social relationships of Japanese elderly individuals.