Examining Social Networks in Older Adults: What Predicts Communicative Participation?

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 933-940
Author(s):  
Melanie Meeker ◽  
Kimberly C. McCullough ◽  
Gary H. McCullough ◽  
Usenime Akpanudo
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Early Identification ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Elderly Individuals ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Hearing Handicap ◽  
Communicative Participation

Purpose Social isolation is linked to cognitive decline and depression, which can be risk factors for developing dementia. The purpose of this study was to determine which of a variety of factors were associated with communicative participation as measured by social network size. Method Three hundred thirty-seven adults aged 65 years or older were administered assessments to evaluate social network size, cognition, hearing handicap, and quality of communicative participation. Results Cognition, education, living setting, and quality of communication life were associated to varying degrees with the construct of communicative participation as measured by social network size. Conclusion Assessment of these variables, along with early identification of cognitive decline, could play an important role in identifying elderly individuals at risk for limitations in communicative participation and associated consequences.

Extraverts Have Larger Social Network Layers

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas V. Pollet ◽  
Sam G. B. Roberts ◽  
Robin I. M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Outer Layer ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Emotional Intensity ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
Network Layer ◽  
Network Layers ◽  
Social Network Size

Previous studies showed that extraversion influences social network size. However, it is unclear how extraversion affects the size of different layers of the network, and how extraversion relates to the emotional intensity of social relationships. We examined the relationships between extraversion, network size, and emotional closeness for 117 individuals. The results demonstrated that extraverts had larger networks at every layer (support clique, sympathy group, outer layer). The results were robust and were not attributable to potential confounds such as sex, though they were modest in size (raw correlations between extraversion and size of network layer, .20 < r < .23). However, extraverts were not emotionally closer to individuals in their network, even after controlling for network size. These results highlight the importance of considering not just social network size in relation to personality, but also the quality of relationships with network members.

scholarly journals The moderating role of social network size in the temporal association between formal social participation and mental health: a longitudinal analysis using two consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziggi Ivan Santini ◽  
Paul E. Jose ◽  
Ai Koyanagi ◽  
Charlotte Meilstrup ◽  
Line Nielsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
Moderating Role

Abstract Introduction Previous studies have shown that engaging in formal social participation may protect against declining mental health, but social network size (the number of close social ties a person has) may moderate the relationship. We assessed the potential moderating role of social network size using longitudinal data. Methods Nationally representative data from two consecutive waves (2011, 2013) of the SHARE survey were analyzed. The data consisted of 38,300 adults from 13 European countries aged 50 years and older in 2011. Measures pertaining to formal social participation, social network size, quality of life, and depression symptoms were used. Multivariable linear regression models were conducted. Results The majority of participants (over 70% of the sample) had a social network size of four or less close social ties. We identified significant moderations in both models. Individuals with relatively few close social ties may have benefitted from formal social participation both in terms of reductions in depression symptoms and increases in quality of life, while formal social participation among those with many social ties did not appear to be beneficial, and may even to some extent have been detrimental. Conclusions Declines in mental health specifically among those with relatively few close social ties could potentially be prevented through the promotion of formal social participation. It is possible that such strategies could have a greater impact by specifically targeting individuals that are otherwise socially isolated. High levels of formal participation among those with relatively many close social ties may not be pragmatically beneficial.

scholarly journals Social Networks and Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312098525
Author(s):  
Balazs Kovacs ◽  
Nicholas Caplan ◽  
Samuel Grob ◽  
Marissa King
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Network Data ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Network Data ◽  
Social Network Size

We utilize longitudinal social network data collected pre–COVID-19 in June 2019 and compare them with data collected in the midst of COVID in June 2020. We find significant decreases in network density and global network size following a period of profound social isolation. While there is an overall increase in loneliness during this era, certain social network characteristics of individuals are associated with smaller increases in loneliness. Specifically, we find that people with fewer than five “very close” relationships report increases in loneliness. We further find that face-to-face interactions, as well as the duration and frequency of interactions with very close ties, are associated with smaller increases in loneliness during the pandemic. We also report on factors that do not moderate the effect of social isolation on perceived loneliness, such as gender, age, or overall social network size.

scholarly journals Online social network size is reflected in human brain structure

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1732) ◽  
pp. 1327-1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kanai ◽  
B. Bahrami ◽  
R. Roylance ◽  
G. Rees
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Real World ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Online Social Network ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Matter Density ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Social Network Size

The increasing ubiquity of web-based social networking services is a striking feature of modern human society. The degree to which individuals participate in these networks varies substantially for reasons that are unclear. Here, we show a biological basis for such variability by demonstrating that quantitative variation in the number of friends an individual declares on a web-based social networking service reliably predicted grey matter density in the right superior temporal sulcus, left middle temporal gyrus and entorhinal cortex. Such regions have been previously implicated in social perception and associative memory, respectively. We further show that variability in the size of such online friendship networks was significantly correlated with the size of more intimate real-world social groups. However, the brain regions we identified were specifically associated with online social network size, whereas the grey matter density of the amygdala was correlated both with online and real-world social network sizes. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the size of an individual's online social network is closely linked to focal brain structure implicated in social cognition.

scholarly journals A Utilização do Questionário HHIE-S Associado à Avaliação Audiológica e Vocal num Grupo de Idosos

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauriceia Cassol ◽  
Maria Inês Dornelles da Costa Ferreira ◽  
Deise Maria De Azevedo Poglia
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Early Identification ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Use Of Self ◽  
Elderly Individuals ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Hearing Handicap ◽  
Keywords Hearing Loss ◽  
Aging Health

Resumo: Este estudo objetiva identificar a importância do questionário Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly — Screening Version (HHIE-S) como indicador da necessidade de avaliação audiológica em um grupo de idosos, relacionando as perdas auditivas às possíveis alterações vocais. Fizeram parte deste estudo cinco indivíduos idosos do gênero feminino, na faixa etária de 57 a 75 anos. Primeiramente, foi aplicado o questionário HHIE-S seguido da avaliação audiológica básica e da avaliação perceptivo-auditiva da voz. Nos resultados, os cinco indivíduos idosos apresentaram alteração em um ou mais aspectos vocais. As alterações das características vocais puderam ser correlacionadas às perdas auditivas em três dos cinco casos. Salienta-se a importância da avaliação vocal e da utilização de escalas de auto-avaliação, como o questionário HHIE-S, como indicadores da identificação precoce da deficiência auditiva. Palavras-chave: Perda Auditiva. Presbiacusia. Saúde do Idoso. Qualidade Vocal. Abstract: This study aimed at identifying the importance of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly —Screening Version (HHIE-S) questionnaire as an indicator of the need for an audiological evaluation in a group of elderly, and verifying the relation between hearing loss and possible vocal change in 5 elderly females with ages ranging from 57 to 75 years.The HHIE-S questionnaire was applied, followed by a basic audiological evaluation and auditory-perceptive vocal evaluation. In the results, 5 elderly individuals presented changes in one or more vocal aspects. The changes in vocal characteristics may be correlated to hearing loss in 3 of the 5 cases. The importance of vocal evaluation and use of self-evaluation scales as the HHIE-S questionnaire as indicators for early identification of hearing impairment is highlighted. Keywords: Hearing Loss. Presbycusis. Aging. Health. Voice Quality.

scholarly journals Estimation of the Active Social Network of Street Children in Shiraz (A City of Iran)

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasrin Motazedian ◽  
Mehrab Sayadi ◽  
Somaye Oboodi ◽  
Hassan Joulaei
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Street Children ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Hidden Population ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Network Size

: Street children are a hard-to-reach population. Since the direct method is not feasible and has some limitations, we utilized the network scale-up (NSU) as an indirect method. This study was conducted in Shiraz municipalities. Our target population was Iranian boys between 10 to 18 years of age during the years 2014 to 2016. Three trained psychologists conducted face to face interviews with 86 street children (boys) on the streets, through the convenience sampling technique. The social network size of street boys in Shiraz was estimated at 17 persons (ranging from zero to 92 people, mean = 17 ± 17, median = 13). Overall, the network size of the hidden population might be smaller than the general population, due to the stigmatized nature of their behavior and place of work.

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