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PubMed1992

Social networks, institutionalization, and mortality among elderly people in the United States.

This study focuses on the effect of social networks on institutionalization and mortality among elderly people in the United States. Data are from the Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA), which incorporates a baseline interview in 1984 and a follow-up interview two years later. The study population consists of a sample of 5,151 noninstitutionalized elderly people who were 70 years of age or older in 1984. Multivariate analyses using logistic regression revealed that social networks are negatively related to the likelihood of institutionalization and mortality when controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and baseline health status. Elderly people who participated in some form of social activity decreased their risk of institutionalization by almost one-half, whereas living alone increased the likelihood of institutionalization. Participating in social activities and visiting or talking with friends or relatives was negatively related to the likelihood of mortality.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social network drinking and adult alcohol involvement: a longitudinal exploration of the direction of influence.

Past research shows consistent associations between individuals' drinking patterns and the drinking patterns of their social network members. This association has usually been attributed to the influence of social networks on individual behavior. Recent studies concerning adolescent drinking behavior suggest that such associations may be due, in part, to selection effects in which individuals form social ties with those who have drinking habits similar to their own. The present study used longitudinal data and structural equation modeling to compare the selection and influence effects among a large representative sample of adults. Results suggested that both selection and influence affect the association between individual and network drinking patterns among adults, but that social selection effects are substantially stronger than social influence effects. A cross-lagged structural equation model with a normed fit index of .975, showed that the path indicating peer influence had a coefficient of .069 (P<.01), whereas the path indicating network selection had a coefficient of .193 (P<.01). Comparisons across age, race, sex, and marital status groups revealed similar results, with stronger selection than influence effects for all groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Markers of the social network as criteria in the follow-up of patients of a therapeutic community].

The characteristics of the social networks and of the post-therapeutic process of 47 patients of a therapeutic community were studied four years after release. Groups of successful and unsuccessful patients were defined by the subjective rating of the health status and by a personality inventory. Depending on the criterias of success, we found significant differences in the characteristics of the posttherapeutic process. To some extent the groups differed also in the quality of the social relationships, the number of confidants and in the size of those parts of the social networks, which were build up by the family of the patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Family burden and social network in schizophrenia vs. physical diseases: preliminary results from an Italian national study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare burden and social network in families of patients with schizophrenia or physical diseases. METHOD: A total of 709 relatives of patients with schizophrenia and 646 relatives of patients with physical diseases were recruited in 169 specialized units located in 30 randomly selected Italian geographical areas. RESULTS: In both groups, the consequences of caregiving most frequently reported as present were constraints in social activities, negative effects on family life and a feeling of loss. Objective burden was similar in the two groups, while subjective burden was higher in schizophrenia. Social support was lower among relatives of patients with schizophrenia than among those of the other group. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the need to provide families of those with long-term diseases with supportive interventions, aiming to: i) manage relatives' psychological reactions to patient's illness; ii) provide information on patient's disease; iii) reinforce relatives' social network, especially in the case of schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Social networks and health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: To examine prospectively the influence of social networks on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Social networks and HRQoL were assessed among women free of breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). Women who developed breast cancer over a 4-year follow-up (n=708) completed detailed questions related to treatment together with an assessment of general and cancer-specific HRQoL. RESULTS: On average, socially isolated women were more adversely affected by breast cancer--their role function was lower by 14 points, vitality lower by 7 points, and physical function lower by 6 points compared to the most socially integrated women. CONCLUSION: Prediagnosis level of social integration is an important factor in future HRQoL among breast cancer survivors, and appears to explain more of the variance in HRQoL than treatment or tumor characteristics. Rehabilitation programs should incorporate interventions that address the availability of adequate social support among breast cancer survivors.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of health locus of control and social network on adolescent risk taking.

The purpose of this study was to determine if health locus of control and social network are predictors of adolescent risk-taking. Findings demonstrated that 12% of the variance in risk-taking could be explained by 2 of the 3 dimensions of health locus of control (internal and powerful other health locus of control subscales), and social network.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Strengthening social networks: intervention strategies for mental health case managers.

The enhancement of social support networks for people with chronic mental illness is an important thrust of case management services. However, despite the worthy intentions of the National Institute of Mental Health Community Support Program, the development of comprehensive, community-based social support systems for people with chronic mental illness remains an elusive goal. Case managers face many obstacles in their efforts to enhance the natural support systems of their clients, and they need specific training in social network interventions with individuals with mental illness to overcome these obstacles. This article presents conceptual framework of social network interventions and discusses obstacles to enhancing natural support systems. The need for community resource development, especially in the building of community ties, is highlighted.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2003

The relationship between social network characteristics and exchanging sex for drugs or money among drug users in Baltimore, MD, USA.

The current study examined social network and drug use factors associated with buying and selling sex among a sample of opiate and cocaine users in Baltimore, Maryland. A sample of 702 drug users who were sexually active were administered a social network and risk behaviour inventory. Compared to 25% of men, only 1.7% of women reported a history of giving money or drugs to get sex during the past 90 days. Conversely, more women (21.2%) than men (4.7%) sold sex for money or drugs. Those who sold sex were more likely to be low frequency crack smokers, were more likely to drink alcohol at least once a day, had a higher average number of crack-only smokers in their network, and had a smaller number of kin in their network. Men who exchanged money or drugs for sex tended to be low frequency crack smokers and reported having more crack-only smokers and injectors and fewer kin in their networks. The results suggest that network composition may be a risk factor for exchanging sex, particularly with respect to crack users, while kin may be a protective factor. These associations may be either a cause or consequence of exchanging sex.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Maternal social networks and mother-infant interactions in full-term and very low birthweight, preterm infants.

The relation between maternal social networks and mother-infant interactions at 6 months of age was examined in 34 mother-preterm and 20 mother-full-term dyads. All preterm infants were of very low birthweight and experienced medical complications. Mothers were interviewed regarding their social networks; ratings of maternal behaviors were derived from videotaped mother-infant interactions. There were few between-group differences in mean levels of network variables; however, the association between network structure and maternal sensitivity differed in the 2 groups. A larger number of ties between the mother's family of origin and the mother's friends related to higher maternal sensitivity in full-terms but to lower maternal sensitivity in preterms. The birth of a full-term infant is typically a positive event around which a tightly knit network can coalesce to support the mother. It is less clear that the birth of a preterm infant is a positive event, leaving network members unsure of their roles and how to respond. Under the latter circumstances, fewer ties among network members may decrease the likelihood of ambiguous or stressful communications.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of peer social network factors and physical activity in adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between peer-related physical activity (PA) social networks and the PA of adolescent girls. METHODS: Cross-sectional, convenience sample of adolescent girls. Mixed-model linear regression analyses to identify significant correlates of self-reported PA while accounting for correlation of girls in the same school. RESULTS: Younger girls were more active than older girls. Most activity-related peer social network items were related to PA levels. More PA with friends was significantly related to self-reported PA in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Frequency of PA with friends was an important correlate of PA among the peer network variables for adolescent girls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

General and dental health in relation to life-style and social network activity among 67-year-old Danes.

The present study was performed in order to plan and evaluate dental health care for a cohort of 67-year-olds in a Danish municipality. The purpose was to study general and dental health and the effect of life-style and social network relations. A total of 216 persons (71% of the persons selected) were interviewed in 1987; measurement of life-style was based on information about how often the respondents participated in social, cultural, and spare time activities. Family network activity was measured from information on the frequency of contact with family members, while data about relations with friends and neighbours were intended to measure the quality of contact. Moreover, the participants were asked about the presence of various symptoms of ill health, regular use of drugs, and dental symptoms. Additive indices on lifestyle and social networks were constructed. Symptoms were frequent among less active people; e.g. 36% of the participants with very low activity reported at least five complaints of ill health against 10% in the group with an active lifestyle. Among less active persons, 51% were edentulous, against 34% among active persons. Most symptoms of ill health occurred relatively often among persons with weak social networks. Ill health seems to be related to a passive lifestyle and non-supportive social network.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Heterogeneity in the social networks of young and older adults: prediction of mental health and cardiovascular reactivity during acute stress.

We examined the utility of a broad framework that separated positive, negative, and ambivalent social network members. One hundred thirty-three young and older participants completed the social relationships index, measures of mental health, and a cardiovascular reactivity protocol. Results replicated prior research on the beneficial influence of positive (supportive) ties on psychological outcomes. More important, analyses also revealed that the number of ambivalent network ties predicted age-related differences in depression and sympathetic control of heart rate reactivity during stress. The statistical interactions between age and ambivalent ties on cardiovascular responses during stress were not changed when statistically controlling for other social network categories, demographic variables, and various personality factors. These data suggest that social network ambivalence was a relatively unique predictor of cardiovascular reactivity and highlight the utility of separating the variance due to positive, negative, and ambivalent network ties. Implications for the study of social relationships, physiological processes, and health outcomes are also discussed.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1991

Social networks and longevity. A 14 year follow-up study among elderly in Denmark.

The hypothesis of the study was that social contacts to close friends and relatives and perceived social integration was able to delay mortality in general and cardiovascular mortality in particular. Altogether 1752 males and females, aged 70-100 years were interviewed by trained nurses in 1972 to 1974. The study group was based upon a random sample of all elderly in the town of Odense, Denmark. More than 80% participated in the survey which included data collection on social networks and health at the time of interviewing. By means of linking the study group to national registries on mortality and causes of mortality practically all in the cohort were traced until 1987. During follow-up 1501 persons died. Most of the association between social networks and mortality were weak and statistically insignificant but had the expected sign. After adjusting for initial health status only the interviewer's assessment of the quality of the network was statistically significant associated with longevity. A feeling of loneliness was found to be associated with cardiovascular mortality, especially for males.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Social networks, perceptions of risk, and changing attitudes towards HIV/AIDS: new evidence from a longitudinal study using fixed-effects analysis.

The study presented here is an investigation of the importance of social interactions to perceptions of the risk of AIDS, and explores spousal communication about the AIDS epidemic in rural Malawi. A fixed-effects analysis based on longitudinal data collected in 1998 and 2001 shows that social interactions on the subject of HIV/AIDS have significant and substantial effects on respondents' perceptions of the risk of HIV/AIDS, even after controlling for unobserved factors that affect the selection of social networks. These effects are more complex than previously thought. The dominant mechanisms--social learning and social influence--are found to vary by sex and by region, because of regional variations in the marriage pattern and the resulting implications for the formation of local social networks. The conclusion of the study is that rather than fostering denial and inaction, social interactions are an important vector of change in the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Social networks and the asylum cycle: the case of Iranians in the Netherlands.

"This paper examines the traditional distinction between the migration of refugees and labor migrants in the context of Iranian asylum seekers in the Netherlands. The empirical strategy adopted is to apply a framework designed specifically to explain labor migration to the case of asylum migration, and the social networks approach is identified as the most appropriate. This paper examines the role of social networks through the asylum cycle, focusing on the decision to migrate, the choice of destination, and adaptation in the host society. The key conclusion is that the validity of the distinction between refugee and labor migration varies through the asylum cycle even for the same individual."

Acculturation↗
PubMed2003

Simulating market dynamics: interactions between consumer psychology and social networks.

Markets can show different types of dynamics, from quiet markets dominated by one or a few products, to markets with continual penetration of new and reintroduced products. In a previous article we explored the dynamics of markets from a psychological perspective using a multi-agent simulation model. The main results indicated that the behavioral rules dominating the artificial consumer's decision making determine the resulting market dynamics, such as fashions, lock-in, and unstable renewal. Results also show the importance of psychological variables like social networks, preferences, and the need for identity to explain the dynamics of markets. In this article we extend this work in two directions. First, we will focus on a more systematic investigation of the effects of different network structures. The previous article was based on Watts and Strogatz's approach, which describes the small-world and clustering characteristics in networks. More recent research demonstrated that many large networks display a scale-free power-law distribution for node connectivity. In terms of market dynamics this may imply that a small proportion of consumers may have an exceptional influence on the consumptive behavior of others (hubs, or early adapters). We show that market dynamics is a self-organized property depending on the interaction between the agents' decision-making process (heuristics), the product characteristics (degree of satisfaction of unit of consumption, visibility), and the structure of interactions between agents (size of network and hubs in a social network).

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1978

Social networks, the family, and the schizophrenic patient: introduction to the issue.

This article is an editor's introduction to the theme of a special issue of the Schizophrenia Bulletin. The origin of the social network concept is described. Ideology, morale, structure, and the larger social context are identified as aspects of the social network to be examined in future research. Consumer organizations of schizophrenics and their families are described, and their potential for network formation and cooperation with organized psychiatry is discussed.

Consumer Organizations↗
PubMed1994

Mapping a social network of heterosexuals at high risk for HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how heterosexuals at risk for HIV infection interconnect in social networks and how such relationships affect HIV transmission. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with face-to-face interviews to ascertain sociosexual connections; serologic testing. PARTICIPANTS: Prostitute women (n = 133), their paying (n = 129) and non-paying (n = 47) male partners; injecting drug users (n = 200) and their sex partners (n = 41). Participants were recruited in sexually transmitted disease and methadone clinics, an HIV-testing site, and through street outreach in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reported behaviors, risk perceptions, sociosexual linkages, and HIV prevalence. RESULTS: Respondents were well informed, but reported engaging in high-risk behaviors frequently. Nevertheless, over 70% of respondents perceived themselves to be at low risk for HIV infection. The 595 respondents identified a social network of 5162 people to which they belonged. Network analytic methods indicated 147 separate connected components of this network; eight of the 19 HIV-positive individuals in the network were located in smaller components remote from the largest connected component. CONCLUSION: The isolated position of HIV-positive individuals may serve as a barrier to HIV transmission and may account for the lack of diffusion of HIV in heterosexual populations in this region. Network analysis appears useful for understanding the dynamics of disease transmission and warrants further development as a tool for intervention and control.

Adult↗