The embeddedness of social capital in personal networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-203
Author(s):  
José Luis Molina ◽  
Alejandro García-Macías ◽  
Miranda J. Lubbers ◽  
Hugo Valenzuela-Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Occupational Group ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Occupational Prestige ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Overlapping Sets

AbstractName generators (NGs) and position generators (PGs) have been used to measure resources embedded in personal relationships, namely social support and social capital, respectively. Comparisons of these measures adopted NGs that only elicit a small number of alters (max. 5). In this paper we explore whether the measurement of social capital with NGs eliciting larger personal networks (say 15 to 20 alters) gives more comparable results to the PG in terms of occupational prestige. To address this issue, we designed a personal network questionnaire that combined a multiple name generator (MNG) and a PG and enquired about alter characteristics and alter-alter ties for the two sets of nominations simultaneously, allowing their integrated analysis. The questionnaire was implemented in the software EgoNet to collect data from social/environmental entrepreneurs in Spain (N = 30) and Mexico (N = 30. The analysis shows that the two approaches capture mostly non-overlapping sets of personal network members, suggesting that the PG measured in this case available, but not accessed social capital. Remarkably the NG led to a higher average prestige for this occupational group than the PG, but also a lower heterogeneity in prestige. The consequences of using one or another approach and their interpretations are discussed.

Patterns of support and conflict relationships in personal networks and perceived stress

2020 ◽  
pp. 001139212094892
Author(s):  
Gaëlle Aeby ◽  
Jacques-Antoine Gauthier ◽  
Eric D Widmer
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Life Domains ◽  
Mutual Support ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Bonding Social Capital ◽  
Relational Patterns ◽  
Bridging Social Capital

This article investigates the association between personal networks and stress, both positively through support and negatively through conflict. In a representative sample of 755 individuals residing in Switzerland, each individual was asked to name people in their lives who they perceived as very important, as well as to report their mutual support and conflict interactions. First, the article develops and investigates a typology with five relational patterns based on indicators of emotional support and conflict relationships in personal networks. These patterns are the following: bonding social capital, bridging social capital, ego-centered conflict, overload, and ambivalent. Second, it explores the association of these patterns with stress levels that are perceived in various life domains. Results show that individuals involved in relationships that were predominantly supportive had lower levels of stress, whereas individuals experiencing relationships characterized by conflict, or an imbalance in support by giving more than receiving, had higher levels of stress. Finally, ambivalent relationships in which support and conflict were equally present were associated with an intermediate level of stress. These results show the importance of considering support and conflict relationships together in personal network structures.

scholarly journals Structure in personal networks: Constructing and comparing typologies

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-167
Author(s):  
Raffaele Vacca
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Cohesive Subgroup ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Egocentric Network ◽  
Survey Instruments ◽  
Cross Classification ◽  
Personal Communities

AbstractA recurrent finding in personal network research is that individual and social outcomes are influenced not just by the kind of people one knows, but also by how those people are connected to each other. Personal network structure – the way in which one’s personal contacts know and interact with each other – reflects broader trends in social organization and personal communities, and shapes patterns of social capital, support, and isolation. This article proposes a method to identify typologies of structure in large collections of personal networks. The method is applied to six datasets collected in widely different circumstances and using various survey instruments. It is then compared with another recently introduced method to extract typologies of egocentric network structure. Findings show that personal network structure can be effectively summarized using just three measures of cohesive subgroup characteristics. Structural typologies can then be identified by applying standard cluster analysis techniques to the three variables. Both methods considered in the article capture significant variation in network structures, but they also show substantial levels of disagreement and cross-classification. I discuss similarities and differences between the methods, and potential applications of the proposed typologies to substantive research on personal communities, social support, and social capital.

scholarly journals Personal Support Networks of Young People with Mild Intellectual Disabilities during the Transition to Adult Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11810
Author(s):  
Judit Fullana ◽  
Gemma Díaz-Garolera ◽  
Carolina Puyaltó ◽  
Ana Rey ◽  
Rosario Fernández-Peña
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Young People ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Personal Support ◽  
Comparative Results

Social support networks occupy a priority position requiring attention in the processes of social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, during their transition to adult life. The objective of the study was to analyze social support from a relational approach through Personal Network Analysis. A total of 41 young people with mild intellectual disabilities participated in the study, in two groups differentiated according to their educational stage, either compulsory secondary education or post-compulsory training. Descriptive and comparative results are presented based on the variables of structure, composition, and functional content in the social support of their personal networks. The results show that both groups have restricted personal networks, made up of members of the family and the educational environment who constitute the main providers of support. When moving towards adult life, the change in social contacts in other educational, geographical, and relational settings may mean a change in the provision of support received in previous life stages. Developing social and educational actions to support these people in the development and maintenance of social relationships is essential to their access to support resources that will affect their social inclusion.

I personal network in Italia

2012 ◽  
pp. 55-84
Author(s):  
Luigi Tronca
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Psychological Support ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Structural Holes ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Networks Of Support

This article provides an analysis of the main features of the personal networks capable of providing social support in Italy. The first part of the paper presents a theoretical and methodological discussion about the potentials and limits of the personal network analysis. In the second part, the author presents the method used in carrying out a survey on personal networks of a sample of the population residing in Italy. Through the use of the name generator, name interpreter, and name interrelator questionnaires, this survey enables to reconstruct the size, the contents, and the form of the personal networks of respondents. The contents analyzed are material resources, social credentials, contacts, and psychological support. The forms are studied through the concepts of structural holes and network closure. Moreover the personal networks are divided into the following social circles: relatives, friends, and acquaintances. The research was conducted on a sample of over 1.200 individuals. In the last part of the article the results of this research are presented and discussed. One of the findings of this research is that Italy is divided into two geographical areas, with respect to the presence of the personal networks of support: the inhabitants of Central and Northern Italy have personal networks much more extensive than the personal networks of the inhabitants of Southern Italy and of Italian Islands.

scholarly journals Changes in Caregiver Personal Support Networks: Gender Differences and Effects on Health (CUIDAR-SE Study)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11723
Author(s):  
María Nieves Rodríguez-Madrid ◽  
María del Río-Lozano ◽  
Rosario Fernández-Peña ◽  
María del Mar García-Calvente
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Care Process ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Network Support ◽  
Caregiver Health ◽  
Network Losses ◽  
Over Time

Technological changes have led to important advances in medical diagnoses and treatments that prolong the informal care process. Support from the personal network of informal caregivers is an undervalued resource and the changes that have occurred over time are unknown. The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in personal network support among informal caregivers and to examine the effect of these changes on self-perceived caregiver health, with a focus on differences between men and women and caregivers with high and low levels of burden We also investigated caregiver perceptions and explanations of changes to their support network (losses and additions and no change). Using a mixed-methods approach, data were obtained from 32 caregivers that were intentionally selected in Spain, who were interviewed twice with a one-year interval. In the quantitative phase, personal networks analysis was performed with Egonet software, which obtained data on the composition and functional content in social support from 1600 personal relationships (25 alters for each ego in the two waves). In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted in the two waves with a guide in order to explore the changes in informal support resources over time. The selected men with high levels of burden pointed out a loss of network support with more discouraging reports compared with the low-burden male caregivers. Furthermore, the selected women with low burden levels mentioned losses too; however, their reports were more positive. Women reported improved health, especially those with low burden scores in the first wave and those who did not lose support. Caregivers with a high initial burden and who lost support reported worse health, particularly men and women with a strong sense of duty toward care. Social support from personal networks is important for caregiver health and its effects are influenced by gender roles. Our findings could help by improving the relational and social capital of informal caregivers and adapting them to the new needs of formal home care systems.

The Effect of Social Support on Social Capital in Badminton Club

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-123
Author(s):  
Wonbae Park ◽  
Chanryong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Capital

scholarly journals Measuring Social Capital and Support Networks of Young Immigrants

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
María Paz Sandín Esteban ◽  
Angelina Sánchez Martí ◽  
Ana Belén Cano Hila
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Academic Persistence ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
The Social ◽  
Relational Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Young Immigrants

<p class="apa">This paper addresses the importance of the diagnosis of “personal communities” as relational systems that may influence the academic pathways of young immigrants. As part of a longitudinal study of the academic persistence of young people in their transition from compulsory to post-compulsory education, a “personal network questionnaire” has been developed. This instrument allows the relational structure of students to be captured and represented, and the impact of this structure on educational outcomes to be analysed. It measures and explores the network of inter-relations with adults (family, educational and recreational professionals, etc.) and peers in different settings. The theoretical elements underpinning its design and implementation are the interweaving of the student social capital and social support system to which they have or may have access to, and the Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach as the methodological framework. This network approach is rendered highly significant and valuable for professionals in educational diagnosis to assess relational vulnerability and design programs of intervention and counseling. With graphic techniques, we can somewhat address this challenge by examining patterns in relational data, experimenting with these data and putting forward hypotheses.</p>

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