“The framily plan”: Characteristics of ties described as both “friend” and “family” in personal networks

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMY N. BUSH ◽  
ALICIA M. WALKER ◽  
BREA L. PERRY
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Social World ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Frequency Of Contact ◽  
Relationship Types ◽  
Personal Social Networks ◽  
Kinship Ties

AbstractDespite the growing potential for multiplexity in our complex social world, social network methodology often does not adequately capture this phenomenon. Most commonly in research on egocentric social networks, when respondent designate a tie as both family member and friend, the tendency is to default to “family” prior to aggregation for analysis, potentially ignoring important and meaningful variation. As a result, relatively little is known about multiplexity in personal social networks, and particularly about individuals who are simultaneously kin and friends. To address this gap, we assess the rate of occurrence of kinship/friendship multiplexity, and examine characteristics of alters nominated as friends and kin in comparison to those with unidimensional functionality. We find that this kind of multiplexity is fairly common–comprising about one-fifth of kinship ties and one-fourth of friendship ties. Moreover, cross–listed alters are significantly different from those characterized in one function, serving in greater capacity in terms of provision of support, frequency of contact, closeness, and as resources for discussion of important matters. Our findings underscore the critical need to appropriately classify multiplex kinship/friendship ties to avoid making incorrect inferences about support processes and their effects on outcomes across different relationship types.

The personal social network of psychiatric service users

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 682-692
Author(s):  
François Wyngaerden ◽  
Marie Tempels ◽  
Jean-Louis Feys ◽  
Vincent Dubois ◽  
Vincent Lorant
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Psychosocial Functioning ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Psychiatric Service ◽  
Size Composition ◽  
Mapping Technique ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Personal Social Networks

Background: For psychiatric service users, the personal social network offers resources such as behavioural guidance, social support, and coherence of care delivery. So far, most research on the subject has assessed the availability of these resources using size and composition measures. However, the availability of network resources also depends on the cohesion of the relationships between network members, a topic that is rarely addressed in the literature. Aims: In this article, we aim to describe the cohesion of psychiatric service users’ networks. Method: We carried out a personal network survey and collected data on the social networks of 380 service users recruited in outpatient and inpatient services in Belgium. We used an ego-network mapping technique. The data were analysed using several structural metrics describing size, composition, and cohesion. We carried out analysis of variance (ANOVA) in relation to residential status, level of education, psychiatric history, and psychosocial functioning and analysed three cohesion indicators (density, fragmentation, and centralisation) with regression analyses. Results: Personal social networks were small and not very cohesive. Most were composed of a dense subgroup as well as several isolated network members. The analyses revealed that highly educated psychiatric service users had more fragmented networks, while users living in independent accommodation had less dense networks. Density and fragmentation were not associated with the severity of psychosocial functioning, whereas centralisation was. Conclusions: The low level of cohesion may indicate that service users aim to access multiple and diverse social resources and that better-off service users are more successful at doing so. On the whole, however, these personal social networks were fragile, because they contained a high number of isolated network members. Finally, it could be beneficial for professionals to pay special attention to the central persons within the networks of psychiatric service users.

scholarly journals Personal Social Networks of Community-Dwelling Oldest Old During the Covid-19 Pandemic—A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni Kulmala ◽  
Elisa Tiilikainen ◽  
Inna Lisko ◽  
Tiia Ngandu ◽  
Miia Kivipelto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Older People ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Personal Social Networks

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions have affected the everyday life of older people. Advanced age is a significant predisposing factor for a more severe COVID-19 infection, increasing the risk for hospitalization and mortality. Even though restrictions have been, thus, well-grounded, they may also have had detrimental effects on the social well-being of older people. Personal networks and social activity are known protective factors against the premature decline in health and functioning, and it is widely acknowledged that social isolation increases feelings of loneliness, poor quality of life, and even the risk for diseases and disabilities among older adults. This qualitative study investigated changes in personal networks among community-dwelling oldest-old individuals (persons aged 80 and over) during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland. The data is part of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE85+) study, which is an ongoing large longitudinal population-based study in Finland. In this qualitative sub-study, we analyzed fifteen in-depth telephone interviews using directed content analyses and identified five types of changes in personal social networks during the pandemic. In type 1, all social contacts were significantly reduced due to official recommendations and fear of the virus. Type 2 included modified ways of being socially active i.e., by deploying new technology, and in type 3, social contacts increased during the lockdown. In type 4, personal social networks were changed unexpectedly or dramatically due to a death of a spouse, for example. In type 5, we observed stable social networks, which had not been affected by the pandemic. At an individual level, one person could have had different types of changes during the pandemic. These results highlight the heterogeneity of the oldest olds' personal social networks and changes related to them during the exceptional times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social activity and personal networks play an important role in the well-being of the oldest old, but individual situations, needs, and preferences toward personal social networks should be taken into account when planning social activities, policies, and interventions.

The Personal Social Networks of Resettled Bhutanese Refugees During Pregnancy in the United States: A Social Network Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 1028-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana M. Kingsbury ◽  
Madhav P. Bhatta ◽  
Brian Castellani ◽  
Aruna Khanal ◽  
Eric Jefferis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bhutanese Refugees ◽  
Personal Social Networks

Beyond Dyads and Triads: A Comparison of Tetrads in Twenty Social Networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-404
Author(s):  
Cassie McMillan ◽  
Diane Felmlee
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social World ◽  
Network Motifs ◽  
Advice Seeking ◽  
Relationship Types ◽  
Different Types

Social psychologists focus on the microlevel features that define interaction, often attending to dyads and triads. We argue that there also is utility in studying how configurations of four actors, or tetrads, pattern our social world. The current project considers the prevalence of directed tetrads across twenty social networks representing five relationship types (friendship, legislative co-sponsorship, Twitter, advice seeking, and email). By comparing these observed networks to randomly generated conditional networks, we identify tetrads that occur more frequently than expected, or network motifs. In all twenty networks, we find evidence for six tetrad motifs that collectively highlight tendencies toward hierarchy, clustering, and bridging in social interaction. Variations across network genres also emerge, suggesting that unique tetrad structural signatures could define different types of interaction.

scholarly journals Someone to talk to: perspectives on personal discussion networks. An interview with Mario Luis Small

AWARI ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Espinoza
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Final Part ◽  
The Social ◽  
Personal Social Networks

The article presents an interview with Dr. Mario Luis Small about his works and contributions to social network analysis. The conversation revolves around four topics: first, the linkages between his research on urban communities and the current validity of the social capital approach. The second section discusses multiplexity in personal social networks as well as the shortcomings of a deductive approach to this subject. Third, the interview considers the effects of the contexts of interaction for the analysis of discussion networks. The final part of the interview provides recommendations regarding the interpretation of the information obtained from a name generator

Personal Networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernice Pescosolido ◽  
Edward B. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
Composition And Structure

Social networks are ubiquitous. The science of networks has shaped how researchers and society understand the spread of disease, the precursors of loneliness, the rise of protest movements, the causes of social inequality, the influence of social media, and much more. Egocentric analysis conceives of each individual, or ego, as embedded in a personal network of alters, a community partially of their creation and nearly unique to them, whose composition and structure have consequences. This volume is dedicated to understanding the history, present, and future of egocentric social network analysis. The text brings together the most important, classic articles foundational to the field with new perspectives to form a comprehensive volume ideal for courses in network analysis. The collection examines where the field of egocentric research has been, what it has uncovered, and where it is headed.

scholarly journals Who is most influential? Adolescents’ intergroup attitudes and peer influence within a social network

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 684-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibor Zingora ◽  
Tobias H. Stark ◽  
Andreas Flache
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Peer Influence ◽  
Longitudinal Analysis ◽  
Intergroup Attitudes ◽  
Friendship Networks ◽  
Peer Norms ◽  
Frequency Of Contact

Research has shown that adolescents’ intergroup attitudes are subject to friends’ influence, but it remains unknown if certain friends are more influential than others. Popular adolescents may be especially influential of their friends’ intergroup attitudes because they can set peer norms. We examined several indicators of popularity in social networks as possible determinants of social influence: sociometric popularity, prestige popularity, being a clique leader, and frequency of contact with friends. Longitudinal analysis of adolescents’ friendship networks (12–13 years, N = 837) allowed estimating influence of friends on adolescents’ intergroup attitudes, while controlling for the tendency of adolescents to befriend peers with similar intergroup attitudes. Results showed that adolescents’ intergroup attitudes changed in the direction of friends’ intergroup attitudes. Only peers who are popular in terms of having many friends (sociometric popular) were especially influential of their friends’ intergroup attitudes. These findings may inform future interventions aiming to reduce prejudice.

scholarly journals The role and attributes of social networks in the provision of support to women after stillbirth: experiences from Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Ssegujja ◽  
Yusuf Mulumba ◽  
Sally Guttmacher ◽  
Michelle Andipatin
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Information Support ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Frequency Of Contact ◽  
Common Support ◽  
Social Network Approach

Abstract Introduction Communities exert stigma on mothers after stillbirth despite their potential to offer social support to the grieving family. Maternal healthcare-seeking behaviors are socially reinforced rendering a social network approach vital in understanding support dynamics which when utilized can improve community response to mothers experiencing stillbirth. However, the form and direction of social support for women when in need is not clear. The study explored the role and attributes of women’s social networks in the provision of support to mothers who have experienced a stillbirth in Uganda. Methods An exploratory cross-sectional study design adopting a social network approach was conducted. Data collection following established procedures was conducted on a convenient sample of 17 mothers who had experienced a stillbirth six months before the study. Frequencies and bivariate analysis were conducted to determine the factors influencing the provision of social support from 293 network members elicited during the alter generation. We then performed a Poisson regression on each of the social support forms and the explanatory variables. Network structure variables were calculated using UCINET version 6 while Netdraw facilitated the visualization of networks. Results Overall, social support was available from all network relations mentioned by the respondents. No major variations were observed between the two time periods during pregnancy and following a stillbirth. The most common support received was in form of intangible support such as emotional and information support, mainly from females who were married and from the naturally occurring networks such as family and friends. We also observed that social support followed patterns of network relational characteristics including trust, frequency of contact and alters counted on for support more likely to provide the same. Conclusions A great potential for social support exists within women’s social networks to help address stillbirth risk factors during pregnancy and cope after experiencing the same. Alter characteristics like being female, married, and from naturally occurring networks together with relational characteristics such as trust, frequency of contact, and count on alter for support were predictors of eventual social support. Interventions aiming at addressing stillbirth risks at the community level ought to harness these network characteristics for benefits to the mothers.

Gender, Personal Networks, and Drug Use among Rural African Americans

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalyn Negrón Goldbarg ◽  
Emma J. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
African American Men ◽  
Drug Prevention ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
The Social ◽  
Use Behavior

One of the main unifying concepts of research examining gender variations in drug use behavior is the social network. Yet, research specifically focusing on how the social networks of these groups differ by gender is limited. Few studies have investigated the social networks of rural African Americans who use drugs. In this study, we compared the personal networks of 20 rural African-American men and women addicted to cocaine using social network analysis (SNA) methods. The data do not support strong assertions about gender differences in the personal networks of the study sample. However, the results of the study suggest that men tend to have more drug users in their networks than women, as well as less structurally cohesive networks. Women tend to include more men in their personal networks than men included women. Implications of the research results for network-based drug prevention intervention as well as the value of SNA methods for drug use research are discussed.

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