Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 50, Issue 3 S134-S142, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

The balance of exchange in instrumental support with network members outside the household

JP Hirdes and LA Strain
Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, Canada.

The exchange of six types of instrumental support with individuals outside the household was examined using data from the 1990 Canadian General Social Survey. The balance of exchange within the network as a whole was considered in relation to age, gender, social class, availability of social relationships, and health status. The findings reveal the complexity of examining the provision and receipt of support simultaneously. Results are generally consistent with propositions under exchange theory regarding the association between age and reciprocity, depending on assumptions made about the nature of exchange. Implications for future research are discussed.