Survivors: Support network variation and sources of help in rural communities.

This paper analyses data on survivors (N=199) in a longitudinal study conducted in North Wales 1979-87. A typology of support networks is presented, and an association between sources of help (emotional support, common problems, domestic chores, and personal care) and type of support network is demonstrated. Sources of help shift over time, and the nature of the shift is also related to network type with some types of networks relying more heavily on formal services as time passes. Since the distribution of network types is related to community/neighbourhood/locality, the local distribution of network types has important implications for service provision.