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PubMed1996

Social networks, social support and coping with serious illness: the family connection.

Selected social support and family research is reviewed to highlight potential problems in social support exchange as patients and families collectively cope with illness and disability. Results indicate that family support is a primary source of patient support and that the impact of illness on families is substantial, underscoring their need for support. Results also indicate that there are numerous opportunities for problematic supportive exchange within families. The case is made that future studies of social support are needed to answer a series of questions about social support process within families coping with serious illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1987

Social networks, social support and the type of depressive illness.

We hypothesised that there would be greater deficiencies in the quality and quantity of close personal relationship and social support in "neurotic" than in "endogenous" depressives, and that the relation between support and recovery would be stronger in the former. One hundred and thirty men and women who contacted hospital psychiatric services with depression were interviewed, and 119 (92%) reinterviewed after approximately 4 months. The association between the type of depression and deficiencies in social relationship was not impressive. However, differences were apparent in the prognostic implications of social relationship. For "neurotic" depressives, about half the social support variables assessed were significantly related to outcome, whereas the only significant predictor for "endogenous" cases was the presence of a close confidant. The results argue for further research on social support in clinical samples of acute depression.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1987

Different social network and social support characteristics, nervous problems and insomnia: theoretical and methodological aspects on some results from the population study 'men born in 1914', Malmö, Sweden.

A representative sample of 68-year-old men in the Swedish city of Malmö, were interviewed in detail regarding their social network, social support and social influence as a part of an extensive examination of their health status. Emphasis in this paper is put on the definition and operationalization of different social network, social support and social influence characteristics included in a tentative model. The reliability and validity of the different social network, social support and social influence indices are analyzed and discussed. The relation between the different indices and marital status and social class are analyzed implying that men living alone and men in the lowest social class have the most insufficient social network, social support and social influence. The indices were then used in an analysis of nervous problems and insomnia. Social anchorage, social participation and contact frequency, all subconcepts of social network, had independent associations with mental health in this cross-sectional study. The addition of the social network, social support and social influence indices to social class and marital status gives a more differentiated and thereby a more valid picture of the association between the psychosocial environment and this type of mental health problems.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Social network and social support influence mortality in elderly men. The prospective population study of "Men born in 1914," Malmö, Sweden.

The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association of all-cause mortality with different aspects of social network, social support, and social influence. The study sample (n = 621) was a random half of all male residents of Malmö, Sweden, born in 1914, of whom 500 (80.5%) were interviewed and examined in 1982-1983. On the basis of a model with carefully defined and well-differentiated concepts integrated in a theoretic framework of social resources, an instrument was developed to measure different aspects of social network, social support, and social influence. During the follow-up period from September 1982 to November 1987, 67 (13.4%) of the 500 participants died. In univariate analysis, a higher mortality risk was found among men with low availability of emotional support and low adequacy of social participation and among men living alone (crude relative risk = 2.3, 2.3, and 1.7, respectively). These relative mortality risks changed little after adjustments for social class, health status at baseline, cardiovascular risk factors, alcohol intake, physical activity, and body mass index in the multivariate analysis (adjusted relative mortality risk = 2.5, 2.2, and 2.0 for men with low availability of social support and low adequacy of social participation and for men living alone, respectively). These findings are consistent with the existence of a general effect of social network and social support on mortality among elderly men.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1998

Prosthodontic profiles relating to economic status, social network, and social support in an elderly population living independently in Canada.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Previous evaluations of life satisfaction and health have not completely explained the impact of social network, social support, and economics on the oral health-related behavior of elderly patients, particularly in relation to missing teeth. PURPOSE: This study measured the strength of associations between social network/support/class and the use of complete and removable partial dentures in elderly patients living independently. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multiple stepwise logistic regression was used to contrast data from previous studies relating to the subject and to explore the influence of these social variables. RESULTS: The results substantiated the links observed in a previous study between some social features and oral fitness. More frequent use of complete dentures was identified among participants who reported higher incomes and among those who thought their incomes were sufficient for their needs. Unreplaced missing anterior teeth were associated more commonly with subjects less willing or able to leave their homes. CONCLUSIONS: Some salient features of prosthodontic care and oral health status were common to 2, comparable social environments. A minority within the elderly population may not see a need to make use of clinical dental services, regardless of how accessible these services are to them. Social network and social support issues may be important determinants in this perceived need to use clinical services.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Social network and social support among poor elderly ill in Guadalajara, Mexico].

This paper examines social networks and social support among poor elderly ill in Guadalajara, Mexico. We interviewed 40 hospitalized elderly patients. The mean size of social networks was 7.5, basically involving women, multiple generations, and members of the extended family. Emotional support was more frequent than other types of social support. Elderly women had larger social networks and received more social support than men. Married elderly also had larger social networks and more social support than single patients. There were no differences between age and living arrangements with social networks and social support. Future studies are needed on the social and cultural environment of social support for the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Balancing systematic and flexible exploration of social networks.

Social network analysis (SNA) has emerged as a powerful method for understanding the importance of relationships in networks. However, interactive exploration of networks is currently challenging because: (1) it is difficult to find patterns and comprehend the structure of networks with many nodes and links, and (2) current systems are often a medley of statistical methods and overwhelming visual output which leaves many analysts uncertain about how to explore in an orderly manner. This results in exploration that is largely opportunistic. Our contributions are techniques to help structural analysts understand social networks more effectively. We present SocialAction, a system that uses attribute ranking and coordinated views to help users systematically examine numerous SNA measures. Users can (1) flexibly iterate through visualizations of measures to gain an overview, filter nodes, and find outliers, (2) aggregate networks using link structure, find cohesive subgroups, and focus on communities of interest, and (3) untangle networks by viewing different link types separately, or find patterns across different link types using a matrix overview. For each operation, a stable node layout is maintained in the network visualization so users can make comparisons. SocialAction offers analysts a strategy beyond opportunism, as it provides systematic, yet flexible, techniques for exploring social networks.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1985

Depressive symptoms, social networks and social support of elderly women.

A total of 1,144 white married women aged 65-75 years living in Washington County, Maryland were interviewed during February-August 1979 as part of a larger study. This cross-sectional analysis was undertaken to investigate the question of whether or not selected demographic, social network, and social support characteristics of these women were related to their level of depressive symptoms. Women at the low end of the socioeconomic scale were found more likely to have a high level of depressive symptoms than were women at the high end. Two structural characteristics, size and homogeneity of the social network, were also found to be related to symptoms of depression, although only homogeneity of the social network reached statistical significance. There was a larger percentage of women with a high level of depressive symptoms among those with small networks and among those with heterogeneous networks. Those women with good quality networks, which offer the opportunity for social support, were much less likely to have a high level of depressive symptoms than others. Cross-sectionally, social network factors were related to level of depressive symptoms; this relationship now needs to be demonstrated prospectively.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Empirical analysis of an evolving social network.

Social networks evolve over time, driven by the shared activities and affiliations of their members, by similarity of individuals' attributes, and by the closure of short network cycles. We analyzed a dynamic social network comprising 43,553 students, faculty, and staff at a large university, in which interactions between individuals are inferred from time-stamped e-mail headers recorded over one academic year and are matched with affiliations and attributes. We found that network evolution is dominated by a combination of effects arising from network topology itself and the organizational structure in which the network is embedded. In the absence of global perturbations, average network properties appear to approach an equilibrium state, whereas individual properties are unstable.

Electronic Mail↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Bizoń's method of social network and social support assessment: description of the method and its application].

The development of the social network and social support assessment method designed by Bizoń is concisely outlined. The final version of the measurement method is described and all its components are presented in the appendix. It consists of the Interview Questionnaire, including Social Support Inventory, the Map of Social Network, the List of Social Network, Table of the data coding and Questionnaire of Demographic Data. The main studies with this instrument are reviewed. They indicate that Bizoń's method is a helpful diagnostic tool and has some advantages in comparison with similar methods applied in the studies of social support.

Humans↗
PubMed1999

[Social networks and social support in a sample of mentally ill sex offenders].

OBJECTIVE: Characteristics of social networks and social support were investigated in a group of 35 imprisoned mentally ill sex offenders. METHODS: We compared current parameters (after an average of 3 years of psychosocial therapy) with those at the time of the offence. RESULTS: Analyses reveal a decrease in social network size but an increase in social support by the remaining or new social network members. These changes are discussed in reference to various influencing variables in a therapeutic prison facility. The impact of psychosocial interventions in relapse prevention of sexual offenders will be outlined.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Identity and search in social networks.

Social networks have the surprising property of being "searchable": Ordinary people are capable of directing messages through their network of acquaintances to reach a specific but distant target person in only a few steps. We present a model that offers an explanation of social network searchability in terms of recognizable personal identities: sets of characteristics measured along a number of social dimensions. Our model defines a class of searchable networks and a method for searching them that may be applicable to many network search problems, including the location of data files in peer-to-peer networks, pages on the World Wide Web, and information in distributed databases.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

An examination of the social networks and social isolation in older and younger adults living with HIV/AIDS.

This study examined social networks and social isolation in older (50 years or more) and younger (ages 20 to 39) adults with HIV/AIDS. The author conducted interviews with 88 individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the Pacific Northwest. Both groups' social networks had similar patterns; however, older adults were more likely to live alone. More than 38 percent of older adults and 54 percent of older adults of color were at risk of social isolation compared with 25 percent of those 20 to 39 years of age. Older men and older adults of color had significantly lower scores on the social network scale than others. Having a confidant and receiving instrumental support were significantly correlated with reduced HIV stigma. Implications for social work practitioners are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Social network and social support in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease].

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to make a precise analysis of social network and social support to patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (CEDE) in comparison with healthy controls. METHODS: 35 patients with colitis ulcerosa and 47 patients with Morbus Crohn were interviewed using the questionnaire for investigating social network and social support (SONET). Medical data on disease activity were also assessed. CEDE patients were compared with healthy controls, and patients with active disease were compared with those whose disease was in remission. RESULTS: In comparison to healthy controls, the patients demonstrated a significantly smaller network, comprising fewer extra-familial persons but more relationships to the closest core family members. CEDE patients also reported a significantly smaller number of persons from whom they received social support. Patients with active disease were generally more unsatisfied with the support received than those whose disease was in remission. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the closest family members are usually responsible for the patient's social support. Further investigation is necessary to assess the needs of the core family in this stressful situation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

[Relevance of the duration of depression for the social network and social support].

The lack of supportive social ties seems to play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of depression. As a review of related studies shows two important facts have almost been neglected: On the one hand the assessment of social resources are affected by depressive distortion of perception, on the other hand a longer lasting depression is likely to have a special impact on social network and social support. The following study shows distinct differences between individuals with primary (E; n = 25) and longer-lasting depression (L; n = 25) and controls (KG; n = 25) in the size but in the structure of their social network and social support, too. Besides, the elimination of the distortion of the data for the depressive bias was aspired.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Social network schemas and the learning of incomplete networks.

Social networks that are missing relations among some of their members--termed incomplete networks--have been of critical theoretical and empirical interest in sociological research on weak ties and structural holes but typically have been overlooked in social psychological studies of network learning. Five studies tested for schematic processing differences in the encoding and recalling of incomplete networks. In Studies 1 and 2, prior knowledge of missing relations facilitated learning an unfamiliar, incomplete network. Study 3 ruled out differences in general pattern recognition ability as an explanation. Study 4 manipulated the degree of familiarity with missing relations, which produced predicted differences in learning rates. Finally, Study 5 examined how improved learning of an incomplete network affected a strategic organizational choice. The findings suggest that people can become schematic for complex, incomplete social networks.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Women in recovery from drug misuse: an exploratory study of their social networks and social support.

This cross-sectional research examined the effects of ethnicity, age, and primary drug (alcohol or other drug) on recovering women's social network size and social support. Study participants included 21 African-American, 39 Anglo-American, and 3 Mexican-American women in continuous recovery for a minimum of 6 months. Study findings demonstrated statistically significant increases in social network size and in the amount of social support received from pretreatment to posttreatment recovery periods. Ethnicity, age, and primary drug had little effect on social network size and amount of social support received.

Adult↗