Changes In Social Networks Research Articles

Impact of pandemic-induced service disruptions and behavioral changes on HCV and HIV transmission amongst people who inject drugs: a modeling study.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have disproportionally impacted vulnerable groups such as people who inject drugs (PWID) through reduced healthcare services as well as social changes from pandemic mitigation measures. Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation strategies subsequently changed the trajectory of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV transmission is critical to estimating disease burdens, identifying outbreak risk, and developing informed intervention strategies. Using behavioral data from the AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) study, an ongoing community-based cohort of PWID in Baltimore, USA, and an individual-based network model, we explored the impacts of service disruptions combined with changes in social networks and injecting behaviors of PWID on HCV and HIV transmission. Analyses of ALIVE data showed that during the pandemic, there was an acceleration in injection cessation trajectories overall, but those who continued injecting increased the frequency of injection; at the same time, individual drug-use networks became smaller and the probability of injecting with others decreased. Simulation results demonstrated that HCV and HIV prevalence increased from service disruptions alone, but these effects were mitigated when including observed behavior changes in addition. Model results combined with rich individual behavioral data indicated that pandemic-induced behavioral changes of PWID that lasted longer than service disruptions could have offset the increasing disease burden caused by disrupted service access during the pandemic.

More adverse childhood experiences are associated with increased social thinning and severe psychological distress

Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to psychopathology due to reduced social networks or social thinning. However, evidence of the temporal associations between adverse childhood experiences, social networks, and psychopathology was lacking, as few studies assessed social networks repeatedly. Further, their underlying neurocognitive and biological mechanisms related to hypervigilance and inflammation remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify these associations using a three-wave population-based cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 465), where we leveraged repeated social network assessments. Self-reported questionnaires assessed adverse childhood experiences, social network size and diversity, psychological distress, and hypervigilance regarding COVID-19. Blood tests were conducted to measure inflammation markers. Individuals with more adverse childhood experiences demonstrated lesser increases in their social networks than those without adverse childhood experiences. Decreased network sizes were associated with severe psychological distress, but this association did not remain after adjusting for baseline distress. On the other hand, reduced network diversities were associated with increased psychological distress. We did not find any paths through hypervigilance regarding COVID-19 and inflammation that explain associations between adverse childhood experiences, social thinning, and psychological distress. These findings emphasize the significant social network changes in the associations between adverse childhood experiences and psychopathology.

The Longitudinal Evidence on Social Ties and Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Aging Adults: A Systematic Review.

Social ties are associated with the mortality and morbidity of aging populations; however, the role of social ties in healthy eating practices or gender differences in this link is less understood. The objective of this study was to examine the longitudinal evidence for the impact of changes in social ties on fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes among aging adults, with attention to gender differences. Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and ProQuest databases were searched until December 2022. Longitudinal studies evaluating changes in living arrangement, marital status, social network, or social participation and changes in FV intake among middle- and older-age adults were included. Data from the included studies were extracted using a standardized template and analyzed using a narrative approach. A total of 4956 titles were eligible after deduplication, and 75 full texts were screened. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, and all examined marital transitions only. Five marital transitions were assessed: staying married, becoming widowed, becoming divorced, remaining unmarried, and becoming married. Both the quantity and variety of fruit and/or vegetables eaten were studied. Three of the included studies had only male or only female populations. The studies found that marital dissolution (divorce or widowhood), and remaining unmarried, were associated with reduced FV intakes in older women or men, compared with staying married. The associations were stronger in men than in women. Two studies showed that becoming married was associated with increased vegetable intakes, but 3 reported null results. The included studies were of medium quality. There is a paucity of longitudinal research on whether changes in social ties are associated with changes in FV intakes among aging adults. This review showed that specific marital transitions may influence healthy eating habits, especially in older men. No evidence exists on whether changes in other social ties might alter healthy eating. PROSPERO registration No. CRD42022365795.

Lower Perceived Social Support During Hospitalization by Close Family Members may have Significant Associations with Psychological Distress 1 Month After Cardiac Arrest.

The perception of having poor social support is associated with worse symptoms of psychological distress in close family members of critically ill patients, yet this has never been tested after cardiac arrest. Close family members of consecutive patients with cardiac arrest hospitalized at an academic tertiary care center participated in a prospective study. The validated Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) cued to index hospitalization was administered before discharge. Multivariate linear regressions estimated the associations between the total MSPSS score and total scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2), and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), assessed 1month after cardiac arrest. In 102 participants (mean age 52 ± 15years, 70% female, 21% Black, 33% Hispanic) with complete data, the prevalence of depression, generalized anxiety, and probable posttraumatic stress disorder at a median duration of 28.5days (interquartile range 10-63days) from cardiac arrest was 61%, 34%, and 13%, respectively. A lower MSPSS score was significantly associated with higher PHQ-8 scores (β = - 0.11 [95% confidence interval - 0.04 to - 0.18]; p < 0.01), even after adjusting for family members' age, sex, prior psychiatric condition, and witnessing of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and patient's discharge disposition (β = - 0.11 [95% confidence interval - 0.02 to - 0.15]; p < 0.01). Similarly, significant inverse associations of total MSPSS scores were seen with 1-month GAD-2 and PCL-5 scores. Poor social support during hospitalization, as perceived by close family members of cardiac arrest survivors, is associated with worse depressive symptoms at 1month. Temporal changes in social networks and psychological distress warrant further investigation.

Context propagation based influence maximization model for dynamic link prediction

Influence maximization (IM) in dynamic social networks is an optimization problem to analyze the changes in social networks for different periods. However, the existing IM methods ignore the context propagation of interaction behaviors among users. Hence, context-based IM in multiplex networks is proposed here. Initially, multiplex networks along with their contextual data are taken as input. Community detection is performed for the network using the Wilcoxon Hypothesized K-Means (WH-KMA) algorithm. From the detected communities, the homogeneous network is used for extracting network topological features, and the heterogeneous networks are used for influence path analysis based on which the node connections are weighted. Then, the influence-path-based features along with contextual features are extracted. These extracted features are given for the link prediction model using the Parametric Probability Theory-based Long Short-Term Memory (PPT-LSTM) model. Finally, from the network graph, the most influencing nodes are identified using the Linear Scaling based Clique (LS-Clique) detection algorithm. The experimental outcomes reveal that the proposed model achieves an enhanced performance.

Experiences of living within PFAS-polluted environs: a systematic review

This article examines victimization caused by corporate environmental crime related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution. The system-atic qualitative literature review and thematic synthesis of 27 studies from the USA, Australia, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom aimed to identify critical areas of concern by analyzing the experiences of fence line commu-nities and workers exposed to PFAS. The analysis revealed five stages of the PFAS adaptation process: pre-discovery, discovery, lifestyle change, change in social networks, and restitution. In each of these five phases, unique lived experiences faced by those exposed to corporate environmental harm are highlighted, and physical, psychological, emotional, and socio-economic consequences are discussed. Based on the findings, a conceptual framework of corporate harm adaptation consisting of the five phases was developed to enhance understanding of the complexities and broader impacts of PFAS pollution on those exposed to it. This review highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing the multifaceted harms of PFAS pollution and emphasizes the need to expand the knowledge base on corporate crime through an improved understanding of the victim experiences and conse-quences of PFAS pollution. This study serves as a reminder of the need to consider the multifaceted experiences of affected fence line communities and workers in addressing corporate environmental crimes.

39 Are you well? An investigation into the health-related behaviours and wellbeing of Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT) students. A pilot study

Abstract Introduction For young adults, adjustment into student life can often be a difficult and challenging time with students facing academic demands, social network changes, financial constraints, and the transition to independence. As a result, many college students tend to engage in harmful health related behaviours which may consequently impact their overall wellbeing. Physical inactivity, alcohol abuse, smoking tobacco, and poor dietary habits are considered main contributing factors associated with chronic disease. In addition, risky health related behaviours and poor wellbeing are associated with attendance issues, cognitive decline, and poor academic performance in the student population. Aims To examine the health-related behaviours and wellbeing of students attending DKIT. Methods A cross-sectional sample of DKIT students over the age of 18 were recruited by convenience sampling through flyers, peer referrals and word-of-mouth. Participants provided informed consent prior to completing a fitness assessment and self-report survey to examine their body mass index (BMI), physical activity levels (IPAQ-SF), sporting participation, sedentary behavior, sleep quality (PSQI), dietary habits, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. Results In total, 169 students (52% Males and 45% Females) took part in the study. Of the sample, 32% were overweight or obese, 23% reported being insufficiently active, 27% did not take part in sport while the average sitting time of students on a typical weekday was 6 hours. In addition, 27% consumed alcohol at least once a week, 8% regularly smoke tobacco and 21% currently use E-cigarettes. Regarding dietary habits, only 50% of students had fruit and 45% had vegetables once or more a day. Finally, 56% of students experienced poor sleep quality and over 15% of the participants reported poor wellbeing. Conclusion Understanding these risky health related behaviours in the student population may help guide colleges and universities to adopt better health promotion strategies and interventions to increase awareness, further educate and provide additional support and opportunities for the wellbeing of students.

A systematic review of social connections as determinants of obesity: Longitudinal evidence limited to marital transitions.

Social relationships impact health and may affect proximal determinants such as obesity. Our review examined empirical evidence of the impact of changes in social relationships on risk of obesity in aging adults, with attention to gender. We systematically searched Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, and ProQuest Dissertations and reference lists of relevant reviews and papers published up to November 2022. Longitudinal studies examining changes in marital status, living arrangement, social participation, and social networks and anthropometric changes or incident obesity were deemed eligible. Relevant data were extracted and synthesized narratively. We identified 41,910 eligible titles, resulting in 252 full texts and 7 included studies. All studies were conducted in the United States and assessed marital transitions only; 3 studies included both women and men. Overall, compared with people who remain non-married, entering marriage leads to a significant increase in body mass index (BMI) for both genders. Conversely, transitioning out of marriage through widowhood or divorce leads to a decrease in weight (kg/lbs), waist circumference, and BMI for both genders. All seven studies were deemed to be of medium quality. Our review revealed a paucity of prospective evidence on social connections as determinants of obesity among aging adults. There is limited evidence that marital transitions are associated with changes in anthropometric measurements in aging individuals, but no evidence on the effects of changes in living arrangements, social participation, and social networks on anthropometric measurements. More research attention to the social determinants of obesity is warranted.

Dynamics of multilevel alliances in St. Johns River, Florida, Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops erebennus) with respect to an epizootic unusual mortality event

AbstractDisturbance events can alter a community's association patterns, which can influence mating tactics. The St. Johns River (SJR) bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops erebennus) community was impacted by the 2013–2015 unusual mortality event (UME), caused by cetacean morbillivirus, through mortality and social network changes. We analyzed male alliance stability and behavior from April 2011 through March 2017 with respect to the UME. During the UME, 12 first‐order alliance dyads ended due to a partner's death or disappearance. Alliance tactics varied: forming second‐order alliances (n = 21 alliances; teams of first‐order alliances), forming first‐order alliances (n = 13 alliances) or remaining unallied after an alliance dissolved (n = 8 individuals). During‐ and post‐UME, fewer allied males formed second‐order alliances (55%) compared to pre‐UME (68%). While the UME likely indirectly influenced alliance behavior through demographic changes, female presence and breeding season consistently influenced alliance associations and consortships (cooperatively flanking a female), indicating a reproductive function for SJR alliances. Increased consortships when a second‐order partner was present suggests second‐order alliances may provide consortship support against rival males. These results enhance our understanding of multilevel alliance reproductive benefits and demonstrate the adaptability of male mating tactics in response to disturbances resulting in demographic changes.

Loneliness and Expanding Social Ties in Later Life: Motivation, Perceived Success, and Implications for Emotional Health.

Social networks undergo changes in later life, reflecting proactive decreases as well as increases in size, but relatively little is known about the factors that motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Loneliness might be expected to motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Paradoxically, however, studies of younger age groups have linked loneliness to a self-protective reluctance to initiate social contact. The current study investigated whether loneliness fosters or inhibits older adults' efforts to expand their social ties and whether successful efforts are related to gains in emotional health. Loneliness, motivation to expand social ties, and emotional health were assessed in a subset of older participants (N = 375) from the Later Life Study of Social Exchanges. Greater loneliness was associated with less interest, less investment of effort, and less success in making new ties and rekindling dormant ties. Nonetheless, lonelier older adults who expanded their social ties, particularly by rekindling dormant ties, exhibited some gains in emotional health over a 1-year period. Greater attention to the role of loneliness in older adults' motivations for making new ties or rekindling dormant ties will broaden our understanding of social network changes in later life.

Dynamic Logics of Diffusion and Link Changes on Social Networks

AbstractThis paper introduces a comprehensive logical framework to reason about threshold-driven diffusion and threshold-driven link change in social networks. It considers both monotonic dynamics, where agents can only adopt new features and create new connections, and non-monotonic dynamics, where agents may also abandon features or cut ties. Three types of operators are combined: one capturing diffusion only, one capturing link change only, and one capturing both at the same time. We first characterise the models on which diffusion of a unique feature and link change stabilise, whilst discussing salient properties of stable models with multiple spreading features. Second, we show that our operators (and any combination of them) are irreplaceable, in the sense that the sequences of model updates expressed by a combination of operators cannot always be expressed using any other operators. Finally, we analyse classes of models on which some operators can be replaced.

Animal exploitation by the last hunter-gatherers in the Mediterranean Iberia. New data from the Mesolithic groups from Cocina cave (Valencia, Eastern Iberia)

Mesolithic groups in Mediterranean Iberia lived during a period of bioclimatic and cultural changes. Thus, their economic behaviour and the availability of plant and animal resources show some interesting variation compared to previous periods that indicate changes in mobility patterns and social connectivity networks. This paper presents information on patterns of animal exploitation of the last hunter-gatherers in this region through zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses of faunal remains from one of the key sites of the Iberian Peninsular Mesolithic, Cocina cave. This site is located in a mountainous woodland region with a rich Late Mesolithic archaeological record. Results indicate that Iberian ibex, red deer, and rabbits were the most hunted species, but that a diversity of other taxa were also present. The comparison to other Mediterranean sites suggests that Late Mesolithic foragers had common animal exploitation patterns with an increased taxonomic diversification and a clear connection to coastal areas. We suggest these foragers practiced a logistic pattern of food procurement, combining long-term with short-term camps including hunting spots, and in some cases evidence for broad scale social interactions. We hypothesize that Cocina cave may have served as a nexus of social and subsistence activities.

"Will you need this health at all? Will you be alive?": using the bioecological model of mass trauma to understand HIV care experiences during the war in Ukraine.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has severely impacted the healthcare system, including the provision of HIV care. The ongoing war is a human-caused mass trauma, a severe ecological and psychosocial disruption that greatly exceeds the coping capacity of the community. The bioecological model of mass trauma builds on Bronfenbrenner's concept of interaction between nested systems to argue that social context determines the impact of life events on the individual and how an individual responds. This paper uses the bioecological model of mass trauma to explore the impact of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing war on HIV-positive people who use drugs in Ukraine, a particularly vulnerable population that may be negatively affected by disruptions to social networks, healthcare infrastructure and economic conditions caused by mass trauma. Data were collected between September and November 2022. A convenience sample of 18 HIV-positive people who use drugs were recruited from community organizations that work with people living with HIV, drug treatment programmes, and HIV clinics through direct recruitment and participant referral. A total of nine men and nine women were recruited; the age ranged from 33 to 62 years old (mean = 46.44). Participants completed a single interview that explored how the war had affected their daily lives and access to HIV care and other medical services; their relationships with healthcare providers and social workers; and medication access, supply and adherence. Data were analysed using the Framework Method for thematic analysis. The war had a profound impact on the social, emotional and financial support networks of participants. Changes in social networks, coupled with limited job opportunities and rising prices, intensified financial difficulties for participants. Relocating to different regions of Ukraine, staying at somebody else's home, and losing connections with social workers impacted medication adherence and created lengthy treatment gaps. Participants also experienced a decreased supply of antiretroviral therapy, concerns about accessing medication for opioid use disorder, and overwhelming fears associated with the war, which overshadowed their HIV-related health concerns and negatively impacted medication adherence. Our analysis reveals the complex impact of war on social networks and healthcare access. Maintaining support networks and competent healthcare providers will be essential amid the ongoing war.

Self-Reported Sobriety Labels: Perspectives from Alumni of Inpatient Addiction Treatment.

There is a lack of consensus in the addiction field as to how to refer to alumni of residential treatment who no longer use substances or who reduce their use. In the literature, this label and broader identity are typically discussed in technical (amount and frequency of use) or social terms (environment and social network changes). The current paper seeks to simplify the discussion by focusing on personal labels without complex technical or social considerations. Alumni of an inpatient addiction treatment facility were asked how they refer to themselves regarding their sobriety status post-discharge. Forty-nine patients were contacted 3 months post-discharge from a residential inpatient addiction treatment (men = 67%; Mage = 47.75 years). The patients completed a post-discharge assessment that was conducted by a trained research assistant over a 20-minute video call. The current study focused on a "sobriety label" measure in which patients indicated what they want to be called. Patients also explained why they chose their answer in an open-ended question. Most patients identified as in recovery (n = 29; 59.18%) followed by a sober person (n = 7; 14.29%) and four other responses. No alum selected the in remission option, which is notably a common way to refer to patients who no longer use substances. The current study adds a critical patient/alumni perspective to the existing body of literature and serves as a call to action for researchers to add a similar "sobriety label" measure to future assessments, studies, and batteries in effort to bring consistency to the labels, definitions, and identities that are published. This methodology of understanding how this population identifies will create uniformity in future literature and decrease the stigma surrounding addiction.

Adaptive payoff-driven interaction in networked snowdrift games

In social dilemmas, most interactions are transient and susceptible to restructuring, leading to continuous changes in social networks over time. Typically, agents assess the rewards of their current interactions and adjust their connections to optimize outcomes. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive network model in the snowdrift game to examine dynamic levels of cooperation and network topology, involving the potential for both the termination of existing connections and the establishment of new ones. In particular, we define the agent’s asymmetric disassociation tendency toward their neighbors, which fundamentally determines the probability of edge dismantlement. The mechanism allows agents to selectively sever and rewire their connections to alternative individuals to refine partnerships. Our findings reveal that adaptive networks are particularly effective in promoting a robust evolution toward states of either pure cooperation or complete defection, especially under conditions of extreme cost-benefit ratios, as compared to static network models. Moreover, the dynamic restructuring of connections and the distribution of network degrees among agents are closely linked to the levels of cooperation in stationary states. Specifically, cooperators tend to seek broader neighborhoods when confronted with the invasion of multiple defectors.

Social Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Indian Migrant Workers: A Survey-Based Investigation

This research investigates the social impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on Indian migrant workers, aiming to fill a literature gap by providing empirical insights into their experiences and challenges during the pandemic. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected through structured interviews with 200 migrant workers across various regions of India. The study analyzed the impact on employment status, sources of financial support, mental health outcomes, changes in social support networks, access to healthcare services, coping mechanisms, perception of government support, and willingness to return to urban centers for work. The findings highlight a significant decline in employment, reliance on savings and remittances, heightened mental health burden, erosion of social support networks, barriers to healthcare access, diverse coping strategies, dissatisfaction with government support, and reluctance to return to urban centers post-lockdown. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and policy responses to address the socio-economic and psychological needs of migrant workers, promote resilience, and build more inclusive and equitable societies.

Living with rare genetic disease during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of adolescents and young adults with Li-Fraumeni syndrome

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic caused large-scale shifts in healthcare access and delivery that impacted the availability of routine care, such as cancer screening. Vulnerable populations, including those with rare cancer-prone genetic disease, faced considerable difficulties in managing their cancer risk. Studies characterizing the specific impacts of the pandemic on physical, mental, and emotional well-being for individuals with rare cancer-prone syndromes are emerging. This study used a patient-centered perspective to characterize how young adults with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), an inherited cancer predisposition syndrome with nearly 100 % lifetime risk of cancer, managed their physical and mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsThis exploratory, qualitative cohort study was conducted between March and July of 2021 as part of the National Cancer Institute's Li-Fraumeni Study. Thirty adolescents and young adults (22 female, 8 male, median age 31 years, range 18–41) with a confirmed pathogenic TP53 variant completed a semi-structured qualitative interview. An interdisciplinary team conducted Thematic Content Analysis on verbatim transcribed data. ResultsMost participants (22/30, 77 %) completed cancer screening during the first year of the pandemic, with a median perceived delay of 5 months (range 2–12 months) and with financial COVID-19-related burden (55 %). While participants reported satisfaction with telehealth-based services, they also reported challenges establishing new clinical relationships and a clear preference for in-person clinical care. Most participants reported negative or mixed impacts of COVID-19 on mental health (21/30, 70 %). Social network changes were reported by 22 (73 %), and almost all participants experienced negative or mixed emotions such as loss, grief, and isolation, to adaptations necessitated by COVID-19 in their social structure. ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic had detrimental effects on the physical, emotional, and social health in young adults with Li-Fraumeni, including disruptions in care. These data highlight the need for integrative strategies to be in place prior to future pandemics to prioritize and support vulnerable populations, such as those with rare disease, and to manage unforeseen large-scale shifts in healthcare access and social structure.

Social network based link correlation using graph neural network with deep learning architectures for feature vectors prediction and classification

SummaryIn recent years, social network analysis has received a lot of interest. A critical area of research in this field is link prediction. Link prediction is researched for other forms of social networks. Still, because social link networks (SLNs) change over time and depend on the discussed topics, this network has unique difficulties. Recent studies have focused on three main issues: extending link prediction to a dynamic environment, forecasting formation, and destroying network linkages that change over time. Although it is a challenging issue, deep learning (DL) techniques have been demonstrated to increase prediction accuracy significantly. This research proposes a novel approach to link correlation for social networks based on DL architectures in feature vector prediction and classification. Here the input data has been processed for smoothening and normalization with noise removal. Then, the feature vector was predicted using a dynamically structured convolutional radial basis neural network for this data. The expected feature vector has been classified using a stochastic gradient‐based graph neural network. The experimental analysis is carried out for various social network data in terms of accuracy of 98%, precision of 85%, recall of 86%, F‐1 score of 75%, AUC of 72%, and RMSE of 76%.

The ontogeny of social networks in wild great tits (Parus major).

Sociality impacts many biological processes and can be tightly linked to an individual's fitness. To maximize the advantages of group living, many social animals prefer to associate with individuals that provide the most benefits, such as kin, familiar individuals, or those of similar phenotypes. Such social strategies are not necessarily stable over time but can vary with changing selection pressures. In particular, young individuals transitioning to independence should continuously adjust their social behavior in light of developmental changes. However, social strategies exhibited during adolescence in animals are understudied, and the factors underlying social network formation during ontogeny remain elusive. Here, we tracked associations of wild great tits (Parus major) during the transition to independence and across their first year of life. Both spatial and social factors predicted dyadic associations. During the transition to independence in spring, fledglings initially preferred to associate with siblings and peers over non-parent adults. We found no evidence for preferred associations among juveniles of similar age or fledge weight during that time but weak evidence for some potential inheritance of the parental social network. By autumn, after juveniles had reached full independence, they exhibited social strategies similar to those of adults by establishing stable social ties based on familiarity that persisted through winter into the next spring. Overall, this research demonstrates dynamic changes in social networks during ontogeny in a species with a fast life history and limited parental care, which likely reflect changes in selective pressures. It further highlights the importance of long-term social bonds based on familiarity in this species.

CHILDLESSNESS AND LONELINESS IN LATER LIFE? THE MODERATING ROLE OF REASONS FOR CHILDLESSNESS

Abstract Having children is a significant life event that causes major changes in social networks. Despite the fact that percentages of childlessness are on the rise worldwide, the connection between childlessness and loneliness in old age is still underresearched. Additionally, the scientific literature frequently draws a line between childlessness that is voluntary and involuntary, while a considerably gray area of reasons for childlessness is present between these two extremes of the continuum. The hypothesis of this study is that there is a moderating effect of reasons for childlessness on the link between childlessness (i.e., having children or not) and loneliness. A cross-sectional survey was created for this, containing questions on topics like social relationships, childlessness, and reasons for childlessness, as well as several validated measurement instruments, such as the De Jong Gierveld 11-item Loneliness Scale and the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. A total of 500 older adults, at least 60 years old, participated in this study, with half of them being childless. The findings describe 1) the degree of social, emotional, and overall loneliness among older adults with and without children; 2) the reasons of childlessness among older adults; 3) the relationship between childlessness and current loneliness; and 4) whether the relationship between childlessness and loneliness is moderated by the reasons for childlessness. This study increases understanding of various aspects of loneliness among older persons in relation to childlessness, as well as the accompanying changes in the dynamics of social relations in later life.