Support networks developed by immigrant women.

Women with young children who were immigrants to Canada were interviewed to understand how they defined their needs and what resources they perceived to be available to meet their needs. All of the women described a need to feel as if they belonged in Canada and had people to turn to for personal support. The women identified general groups of people they perceived as able to provide them with differing forms of support. The three groups were labelled; kin, insider and outsider. The women also described how they used the sources of support and the feelings which resulted from their interactions with members of the support groups. The conceptualization which was developed from the data suggests women may follow a pathway in developing a support network. How this information might be used by health professionals in clinical practice is discussed.