scholarly journals Social relationships, living arrangements and loneliness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Schmitz ◽  
S. Mauritz ◽  
M. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
The Social

Abstract Background Oldest-old people are expected to be particularly likely to experience loneliness due to the loss of their intimate partner or of same-aged social network members. It is assumed that individuals in different living arrangements maintain different kinds of social networks because they adjust their networks to their specific needs. However, not much is known about the variation in the social networks of the oldest-old depending on their living arrangements and how this variation is related to loneliness. This is the first study that seeks to fill this research gap by examining how the composition and the size of a social network varies among the oldest-old depending on their living arrangements with a partner (coresidential partnership, living apart together (LAT) partnership, no partnership), and how this variation contributes to explain loneliness among the oldest-old. Methods We used cross-sectional data from the representative survey NRW80+ (Quality of Life and Well-Being of the Very Old in North-Rhine Westphalia). The sample of analysis used in this study consists of 1860 respondents from the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia aged 80 years and older. Associations between social network characteristics and living arrangements were tested using χ2-tests and one-way ANOVA. Ordered logit models were used to explain loneliness. Results Respondents in a coresidential partnership maintained larger social networks than those in an LAT partnership and those with no intimate partner. Furthermore, the respondents with no partner maintained more diverse social networks. Compared to those in the other living arrangements, the respondents in an LAT partnership maintained the smallest and least diverse social networks. Being in a coresidential partnership and the social network size were found to be negatively associated with loneliness. Conclusion First, the results indicate that respondents who do not have a partner adjusted their social networks to meet their needs in the absence of this relationship. Second, we conclude that being in a coresidential partnership and having a large social network protects the oldest-old against loneliness.

scholarly journals Associations Between Social Support, Social Networks, and Financial Exploitation in Older Adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 990-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott R. Beach ◽  
Richard Schulz ◽  
Rodlescia Sneed
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Financial Exploitation ◽  
The Social

Social support and social networks are important correlates of elder mistreatment. This study tests hypothesized associations between perceived social support, social network size, and financial exploitation (FE). A population-based survey of 903 older adults (60+) in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) found that lower perceived social support and larger social networks were simultaneously associated with higher risk for FE since age 60, controlling for known risk factors. The same associations were found for FE in the last 6 months. Older adults with larger social networks combined with lower perceived social support were most likely to report FE. When it comes to the role of social relationships and risk for FE, “more may not always be better.” Encouragement to widen the social network by “making new friends” should be stressed less than making sure these new network members will truly be supportive of the older adult.

The Experience of Mobile Entrapment in Daily Life

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Hall
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Network Size

Abstract. This multistudy investigation examines how entrapment, which is the guilt, anxiety, or stress to respond and be available to others via mobile devices, shapes and is shaped by patterns of mobile use. Using structural equation modeling on cross-sectional survey responses, Study 1 (N = 300) tested relationships among offline social network size, voice and text frequency, entrapment, and well-being. Offline social network size was associated with text message frequency, and both were indirectly associated with lower subjective well-being via entrapment. Study 2 used experience sampling to confirm associations among entrapment, texting, and well-being. Participants (N = 112) reported on face-to-face, phone, and text interactions five times a day for 5 consecutive days (n = 1,879). Multilevel modeling results indicated that beginning-of-week entrapment was associated with more interactions with acquaintances and strangers, and with reporting lower affective well-being and relatedness when interacting via text. Well-being reported during text interactions and number of interactions with acquaintances and strangers during the week both predicted changes in entrapment by the week’s end. Change in entrapment was associated with lower subjective well-being at the week’s end. Results suggest that entrapment is associated with using texting to maintain larger networks of social relationships, potentially stressing individuals’ capacity to maintain less close relationships via mobile communication.

scholarly journals Social Network Types and Depressive Symptoms among Older Korean Men and Women

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11175
Author(s):  
Kyung-Won Choi ◽  
Gyeong-Suk Jeon
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

This study explores the social network types of older Korean men and women, and the relationship of those networks to depressive symptoms. A population of 4608 older adults who participated in the Living Profiles of Older People Survey (LPOPS) were included in the study. Seven criterion variables—marital status, living arrangements, frequency of contact with children, close friends, and close relatives, participation in social activities, and total network size—were included in a K-means cluster analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of the impact of social network type on depressive symptoms was conducted. We identified two “diverse type” social networks (diverse-married and diverse-unmarried) in women, and one diverse type and one “social-activity-focused type” network in men. Family focused type and two “restricted type” social networks (restricted-couple-focused, and restricted-unmarried) were identified in both men and women. The restricted-unmarried and restricted-couple-focused networks were associated with more depressive symptoms in both men and women. However, the family focused type was associated with more depressive symptoms only in women. The results indicated that social network types, and their impact on depressive symptoms, differ by gender. There is a need for further research on gender differences in the social network types of older adults across diverse cultures.

The Effect of Social Network Size and Composition on the Link Between Discrimination and Health Among Sexual Minorities

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1214-1221
Author(s):  
Katelin E. Leahy ◽  
William J. Chopik
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Stress And Health ◽  
Lgbt Individuals

Objectives: Previous research has examined the link between discrimination and health in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine if health-promoting variables, like social networks, might disrupt this association. Method: Participants were 2,560 LGBT older adults who reported on the composition of their social network, level of discrimination, stress, and health/well-being. Results: Moderated mediation results indicated that social network size disrupted the associations between discrimination, stress, and health outcomes when social networks were (a) larger and (b) comprised of LGBT individuals (but not straight individuals), regardless of age. Discussion: Larger social networks that include fellow LGBT individuals helped buffer experiences of stress and discrimination on health outcomes among LGBT older adults. Implications for how protective factors can reduce the negative effects of discrimination and stress are discussed.

Social networks and service use among representative cases of psychosis in South London

1997 ◽  
Vol 171 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Becker ◽  
Graham Thornicroft ◽  
Morven Leese ◽  
Paul McCrone ◽  
Sonia Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
The Social ◽  
One Year ◽  
Prospective Controlled Study

BackgroundLarge social networks in patients with severe mental illness have been reported to be associated with a low rate of hospitalisation. We aim to determine whether social network size is related to the likelihood of hospitalisation and the amount of service use.MethodAs part of a prospective controlled study, baseline interview data for a random sample of one-year prevalent cases with non-organic psychosis were analysed with respect to social network characteristics and service use during a six-month period.ResultsThe likelihood of hospitalisation decreased with an increase in network size, while the number of services used by patients grew as the social network size increased.ConclusionsWhile larger social networks may be associated with a lower likelihood of hospitalisation, they may also be related to wider use of non-hospital services.

scholarly journals Novel Influence Maximization Algorithm for Social Network Behavior Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68
Author(s):  
Sivaganesan D
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Behavior Management ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Influence Maximization ◽  
Interactive Behavior ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
The Social

The users largely contributing towards product adoption or information utilization in social networks are identified by the process of influence maximization. The exponential growth in social networks imposes several challenges in the analyses of these networks. Important has been given to modeling structural properties while the relationship between users and their social behavior has being ignored in the existing literature. With respect to the social behavior, the influence maximization task has been parallelized in this paper. In order to maximize the influence in social networks, an interest based algorithm with parallel social action has been proposed. This is algorithm enables identifying influential users in social network. The interactive behavior of the user is weighted dynamically as social actions along with the interests of the users. These two semantic metrics are used in the proposed algorithm. An optimal influential nodes set is computed by implementing the machines with CPU architecture with perfect parallelism through community structure. This helps in reducing the execution time and overcoming the real-word social network size challenges. When compared to the existing schemes, the proposed algorithm offers improved efficiency in the calculation speed on real world networks.

Comparing the social networks of service users with long term mental health needs living in community with those in a general adult in-patient unit

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110175
Author(s):  
Roberto Rusca ◽  
Ike-Foster Onwuchekwa ◽  
Catherine Kinane ◽  
Douglas MacInnes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Patient Group ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Practical Support ◽  
The Social

Background: Relationships are vital to recovery however, there is uncertainty whether users have different types of social networks in different mental health settings and how these networks may impact on users’ wellbeing. Aims: To compare the social networks of people with long-term mental illness in the community with those of people in a general adult in-patient unit. Method: A sample of general adult in-patients with enduring mental health problems, aged between 18 and 65, was compared with a similar sample attending a general adult psychiatric clinic. A cross-sectional survey collected demographic data and information about participants’ social networks. Participants also completed the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale to examine well-being and the Significant Others Scale to explore their social network support. Results: The study recruited 53 participants (25 living in the community and 28 current in-patients) with 339 named as important members of their social networks. Both groups recorded low numbers in their social networks though the community sample had a significantly greater number of social contacts (7.4 vs. 5.4), more monthly contacts with members of their network and significantly higher levels of social media use. The in-patient group reported greater levels of emotional and practical support from their network. Conclusions: People with serious and enduring mental health problems living in the community had a significantly greater number of people in their social network than those who were in-patients while the in-patient group reported greater levels of emotional and practical support from their network. Recommendations for future work have been made.

Why Do High-Status People Have Larger Social Networks? Belief in Status-Quality Coupling as a Driver of Network-Broadening Behavior and Social Network Size

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyin Cao ◽  
Edward Bishop Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Network Size ◽  
High Status ◽  
Discussion Section ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Tightly Coupled ◽  
The Relationship

Previous research has demonstrated that the size and reach of people’s social networks tend to be positively related to their social status. Although several explanations help to account for this relationship—for example, higher-status people may be part of multiple social circles and therefore have more social contacts with whom to affiliate—we present a novel argument involving people’s beliefs about the relationship between status and quality, what we call status-quality coupling. Across seven separate studies, we demonstrate that the positive association between social status and network-broadening behavior (as well as social network size) is contingent on the extent to which people believe that status is a reliable indicator of quality. Across each of our studies, high- and low-status people who viewed status and quality as tightly coupled differed in their network-broadening behaviors, as well as in the size of their reported social networks. The effect was largely driven by the perceived self-value and perceived receptivity of the networking target. Such differences were significantly weaker or nonexistent among equivalently high- and low-status people who viewed status as an unreliable indicator of quality. Because the majority of participants—both high- and low-status—exhibited beliefs in status-quality coupling, we conclude that such a belief marks an important and previously unaccounted-for driver of the relationship between status, network-broadening behaviors, and social networks. Implications for research on social capital, advice seeking, and inequality are highlighted in the discussion section.

scholarly journals Changes in Social Network Size Are Associated With Cognitive Changes in the Oldest-Old

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Röhr ◽  
Margrit Löbner ◽  
Uta Gühne ◽  
Kathrin Heser ◽  
Luca Kleineidam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Social Network Size

scholarly journals Differences in anxieties and social networks in a group-matched sample of autistic and typically developing students transitioning to university

Autism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1138-1151
Author(s):  
Jiedi Lei ◽  
Chris Ashwin ◽  
Mark Brosnan ◽  
Ailsa Russell
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Social Network Structure ◽  
Matched Design ◽  
The Relationship

Transitioning to university can be anxiety-provoking for all students. The relationship between social anxiety, autistic traits and students’ social network structure, and perceived support is poorly understood. This study used a group-matched design where autistic students ( n = 28) and typically developing students ( n = 28) were matched on sex, age (17–19 years), ethnicity, pre-university academic performance and degree subject at university. Autistic students reported greater transition to university worries, and a smaller social network size compared to typically developing students, though perceived similar levels of support from their social networks. Autistic and typically developing students showed differential patterns of association with both autistic traits and social anxiety. Broader clinical and practical implications of findings are discussed.

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