Affiliative and “self-as-doer” identities: Relationships between social identity, social support, and emotional status amongst survivors of acquired brain injury (ABI)

Abstract

Social support is an important factor in rehabilitation following acquired brain injury (ABI). Research indicates that social identity makes social support possible and that social identity is made possible by social support. In order to further investigate the reciprocity between social identity and social support, the present research applied the concepts of affiliative and “self-as-doer” identities to an analysis of relationships between social identity, social support, and emotional status amongst a cohort of 53 adult survivors of ABI engaged in post-acute community neurorehabilitation. Path analysis was used to test a hypothesised mediated model whereby affiliative identities have a significant indirect relationship with emotional status via social support and self-as-doer identification. Results support the hypothesised model. Evidence supports an “upward spiral” between social identity and social support such that affiliative identity makes social support possible and social support drives self-as-doer identity. Our discussion emphasises the importance of identity characteristics to social support, and to emotional status, for those living with ABI.

Keywords:

• Brain injury
• Social identity
• Social support
• Depression
• Anxiety

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Erratum

This research was supported by the Irish Research Council.

Notes

¹Looking to anxiety and depression as distinct outcomes: The total indirect effect of affiliative identity on anxiety via social support and self-as-doer identity as mediators was B = –0.63; SE = 0.20; 95% CI (–1.19; –0.35). The total indirect effect of affiliative identity on depression via social support and self-as-doer identity as mediators was B = –0.32; SE = 0.19; 95% CI (–0.74; –0.00).