Social Ties and Health Outcomes

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 21089

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
Interests: gender, family, and health in a dynamic and changing world

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are seeking studies on mental or physical health disparities that draw on a social network perspective. Network approaches share the fundamental premise that individual behaviors and outcomes cannot be fully understood without reference to the social context. They use a broad variety of methods and theoretical traditions, including analysis of cohesive subgroups, diffusion, and social support in personal networks. Throughout these disparate approaches, the fundamental insight is that the behaviors of others in the network can have a profound effect on one’s own health, independent of one’s own risk behaviors.

Specific topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

-The connection between network structure and the potential spread of health behaviors and outcomes;

-The effect of network resources and social support on health outcomes;

-The effect of personal network structure and health outcomes;

-The role of cohesive subgroups in normalizing behaviors that increase or reduce the spread of positive or negative health behaviors.

Dr. Robin Gauthier
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 298 KiB  
Article
Disrupted Care Continuity: Testing Associations between Social Networks and Transition Success for Children with Autism
by Elizabeth McGhee Hassrick, Wendy Shih, Heather J. Nuske, Sarah F. Vejnoska, Samantha Hochheimer, Deborah E. Linares, Jonas Ventimiglia, Kathleen M. Carley, Aubyn C. Stahmer, Tristram Smith, David Mandell and Connie Kasari
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(7), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10070247 - 28 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4201
Abstract
Children with autism situated in lower income families often receive intensive educational interventions as their primary form of treatment, due to financial barriers for community interventions. However, the continuity of care can be disrupted by school transitions. The quality of social relationships during [...] Read more.
Children with autism situated in lower income families often receive intensive educational interventions as their primary form of treatment, due to financial barriers for community interventions. However, the continuity of care can be disrupted by school transitions. The quality of social relationships during the transition to a new school among parents, school staff and community providers, called the team-around-the-child (TAC), can potentially buffer a child with autism from the adverse effects caused by care disruptions. Qualities of social relationships, including trust and collaborative problem solving, can be measured using social network analysis. This study investigates if two different types of TAC relationships, defined as (1) the level of trust among team members and (2) the degree of collaborative problem solving among team members, are associated with perceived successful transitions for children with autism from lower income families. Findings suggested that TAC trust is significantly associated with the outcome of transition success for children with autism immediately post-transition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Ties and Health Outcomes)
12 pages, 623 KiB  
Article
The Long Shadow of Peers: Adolescent Networks and Young Adult Mental Health
by Molly Copeland
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(6), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10060231 - 17 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3853
Abstract
Connections with peers play an important role in adolescent mental health, but their lasting impact is unclear. This study examines whether structural status and support in adolescent networks predict depressive symptoms years later. Using data from the PROSPER Peers study (n = [...] Read more.
Connections with peers play an important role in adolescent mental health, but their lasting impact is unclear. This study examines whether structural status and support in adolescent networks predict depressive symptoms years later. Using data from the PROSPER Peers study (n = 1017), I find that the persistent effects of networks differ based on the mental health of teens and their friends. Structures of status and support relate to young adult mental health only for individuals who experience depressive symptoms as teens. Among depressive adolescents, popularity predicts lower subsequent depressive symptoms, while high prestige predicts higher depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Embeddedness among depressed friends also predicts higher young adult depressive symptoms. Overall, findings suggest relationships with peers can set the stage for mental health for adolescents who experience depressive symptoms or have depressive friends. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Ties and Health Outcomes)
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22 pages, 1527 KiB  
Article
Different Discussion Partners and Their Effect on Depression among Older Adults
by Keunbok Lee
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(6), 215; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10060215 - 8 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3200
Abstract
Although the multidimensionality of core discussion networks has been well established and widely studied, studies of the effects of social support on depression rarely consider the multifaceted aspects of dyadic discussion partner ties. This article proposes defining dyadic social relationships as a construct [...] Read more.
Although the multidimensionality of core discussion networks has been well established and widely studied, studies of the effects of social support on depression rarely consider the multifaceted aspects of dyadic discussion partner ties. This article proposes defining dyadic social relationships as a construct comprising several tie-level attributes and differentiating multiple forms of support relationships by assessing the configuration pattern of multiple attributes. The current study examines various forms of older adults’ discussion partners and identifies which form of discussion partner relationship is effective at buffering the negative effects of adverse life events on depression symptoms. Results from the University of California Social Network Survey show that older adults’ discussion partners can be classified into five distinct types of dyadic ties: spouse/romantic partners, close neighbors, remote type, social companions, and acquaintances. The discussion network with more close neighbor confidants is more effective at buffering the negative effects of adverse life events. These results offer an alternative way of investigating the differential significance of various social support relationships in mental well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Ties and Health Outcomes)
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25 pages, 1850 KiB  
Article
Hierarchical Cluster Analysis of Human Value Priorities and Associations with Subjective Well-Being, Subjective General Health, Social Life, and Depression across Europe
by Ângela Leite, Ana Ramires, Diogo Guedes Vidal, Hélder Fernando Pedrosa e Sousa, Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis and Alexandra Fidalgo
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(2), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10020074 - 20 Feb 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 8942
Abstract
Human values are a central component in understanding individuals’ choices. Using the Schwartz’s Values instrument, this study aimed to identify patterns of human value priorities of 35,936 participants across 20 European countries and analyse their relations with subjective well-being (SWB), subjective general health [...] Read more.
Human values are a central component in understanding individuals’ choices. Using the Schwartz’s Values instrument, this study aimed to identify patterns of human value priorities of 35,936 participants across 20 European countries and analyse their relations with subjective well-being (SWB), subjective general health (SGH), social life, and depression indices in Europe. A hierarchical cluster analysis of data from the seventh European Social Survey (ESS) round 7, based on the higher order dimensions of the Schwartz values model, allowed identifying four European groups with distinct indicators. Indices of SWB, SGH, social life, and depression showed statistically significant differences among the four different sociodemographic groups. The graphical representation of the monotonic correlations of each of these indices with the value priorities attributed to the ten basic human values was ordered according to the Schwartz circumplex model, yielding quasi-sinusoidal patterns. The differences among the four groups can be explained by their distinct sociodemographic characteristics: social focus, growth focus, strong social focus, and weak growth focus. The results of this study suggest a rehabilitation of the notion of hedonism, raising the distinction between higher and lower pleasures, with the former contributing more to well-being than the latter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Ties and Health Outcomes)
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