Close Social Networks Research Articles

Close Relations, Practitioners or Social Networks: What Affects the Selection of Infant Formula Products?

This study examines which factors influence the preferences of mothers seeking advice on the use of infant formula in feeding practices. The effects of their close social circle, medical professionals and social network forums on feeding choices were evaluated. Data were collected from 638 questionnaires from mothers and were statistically analyzed. Our findings suggest that age may influence the preference to seek advice from a close social circle over consulting with medical professionals (p-value = 0.019 < 0.05). The educational level and the number of children impact the preferences of using infant formula over combining it with breastfeeding (p-value = 0.000 < 0.05 and p-value = 0.004 < 0.05, respectively). The research contributes to the understanding of the complex interplay between various demographic and socioeconomic factors and the decision-making process of mothers based on multiple social and digital sources of influence. The research presents valuable insights for healthcare policymakers and professionals in supporting mothers and providing them with up-to-date information. Feeding information can be distributed through all the communication channels that were examined in this study to benefit different socio-economic groups and to contribute to the well-being of infants in the long-run.

Peran Modal Sosial dalam Usaha Tani Kopi Arabika di Desa Kendenan Kecamatan Baraka Kabupaten Enrekang

This research aims to determine the role of social capital in Arabica coffee farming in Kendenan Village, Baraka District, Enrekang Regency. This research uses a purposive sampling technique for taking informants, namely informants who are determined deliberately. The data analysis technique used is qualitative, including data reduction analysis, data presentation and drawing conclusions. The results of this research show that coffee farmers in Kendenan Village have a high element of trust by adopting an honest, open and respectful attitude. Social norms still apply in developing Arabica coffee farming, farmers are limited by rules that are understood verbally or unwritten. We can see the close social network through communication and cooperation that is built between fellow farmers, traders and extension workers. The reciprocal relationship between Arabica coffee farmers helps each other, pays attention to each other and helps each other, making it easier to complete work in coffee farming. The role of social capital in developing coffee farming is transaction costs, sharing information, collective decision making

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Mpox Cases Identified Through Case-based Surveillance in India, July 2022-January 2023.

Of the 43 mpox cases reported by the WHO in South East Asia between January 2022 and March 2023, 24 (56%) were from India. We describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of cases identified through India's hospital case-based surveillance. We identified mpox cases as a positive result for mpox virus polymerase-chain-reaction assay, reported through surveillance from July 1, 2022 to January 7, 2023. Cases and clinicians were interviewed, and data were abstracted from the medical records. We conducted contact tracing among family, close social networks, and healthcare personnel staff for the first 17 cases. We collected the data on sociodemographics, clinical findings, and behavior, and described data using summary statistics. We identified 24 laboratory-confirmed cases (42% females, median age 30 years, range 22-38), including one death (case fatality rate 4.2%). We collected clinical and behavioural data from 21 of 24 cases. All had rashes with vesicles and genital lesions; 7 (33%) reported genital lesions as the first symptom; and 3 (13%) reported complications. Among the 21 cases, all were sexually active, none self-identified as men having sex with men (MSM), and 6 (29%) reported multiple sex partners. We identified 51 contacts of the first 17 reported cases, none reported symptoms suggestive of mpox. The clinical and behavioral characteristics of mpox cases in India are consistent with the global 2022 outbreak, with the exception that no cases in India reported MSM. Most were sexually active young adult economic migrants and developed genital lesions.

“The person was like the glue in the cracked pot which was no longer there”: co-production of the web-based Families and Friends in Bereavement intervention

Background Families, friends and support networks are key to managing bereavement. COVID-19 social restrictions prevented families and friends from being with the dying and participating in usual rituals to honour the dead. This resulted in social disconnection, feelings of guilt, and difficulty in making sense of the death and reconstructing relationships. In response to this context a theoretically informed, co-produced web-resource to facilitate meaning-making, which situates bereavement in the context of family and friends, was developed. This paper describes the development of the web-based intervention. Study aims To co-produce a web-based intervention theoretically informed by the family level extension Dual Process Model and Family Sense of Coherence, and pilot the intervention gaining user feedback to inform refinements in readiness for adoption and implementation. Methods Following a scoping review, a mixed methods study was undertaken using an online survey via questionnaire and virtual co-production workshop with bereaved people and bereavement professionals. Results Survey respondents (n=32) reported the pandemic negatively affected bereavement (guilt, isolation, inability to bear witness) but also presented new opportunities to celebrate the deceased and support the bereaved (new funeral rituals, technology, remote contact, social acknowledgement of grief). Sense-making and managing bereavement were helped through information-giving, support networks, and relocating the person within the family context. A web-resource to facilitate collective grief was viewed positively and endorsed. Key content including family activities to stimulate support, information regarding the range of grief experience and dealing with the practicalities, along with other sources of support was agreed by workshop participants (n=5) to form the basis of the intervention. Conclusion The publicly accessible Families and Friends in Bereavement intervention encourages consideration of bereavement in the context of close social networks. It enables grief to be understood and managed within a shared experience by promoting communication and meaning-making.

Unpredictable digital intimacies and virtual backstabbing: the feminist coalition’s political effect in Nigeria

Abstract This article explores digital intimacies within Nigeria’s networked political discourse, focusing on the resurgence of the Feminist Coalition (FemCo), known for their involvement in Nigeria’s 2020 #EndSARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) movement against police brutality, as feminist political subjects during the 2023 election campaigns. It analyzes Twitter-networked interactions as FemCo was unexpectedly thrust into hypervisibility when asked to endorse Peter Obi, the Labor Party’s presidential candidate, despite prior criticism of their #EndSARS activism. Employing close feminist reading and social network analysis of Twitter data, informed by a contextual feminist/computational approach, this article explores how processes of unpredictable digital intimacies and virtual backstabbing unfold when feminist political subjects are exploited by opposing clusters online. Investigating how affects circulate and transform feminist political subjects into bodies of hate/value, this article sheds light on the affective contexts of political communication in Nigeria, beset by a range of actors, including, activists, influencers, and citizen-users, wielding central power.

Dynamic social network analysis of a brief alcohol intervention trial in heavy-drinking college students shows spillover effects.

Heavy-drinking college students tend to have close social networks, and there is theoretical and empirical support for the idea that behavior change can spread through those networks via close ties. The objective of this research was to determine whether intervention-induced behavior change in a subset of heavy drinkers in a sociometric (whole) college class-year social network is transmitted to other heavy drinkers in the network, resulting in reduced behavioral risk and change in network ties. We conducted a controlled trial in which most of a first-year college class (N = 1236; 56.9% female) was enrolled, with alcohol use and social network ties measured early in each of three semesters. Following a baseline assessment, the network was divided into two groups, brief motivational intervention (BMI) and natural history control (NHC) according to dormitory residence location. A subset of heavy drinkers in each group was selected, and those in the BMI group received an in-person intervention. Using stochastic actor-oriented modeling, we found a significant tendency for participants in the BMI group to shed ties with individuals with similar drinking behaviors between the first and second semesters, relative to the NHC group. Furthermore, heavy drinkers with reciprocal ties to intervention recipients in the BMI group showed a significant reduction in drinks per week. Individual alcohol interventions appear to have effects both on behavior and network connections among individuals who did not receive the intervention. Continued research is needed to identify the optimal conditions for the diffusion of behavior change.

The Mechanism of International Entrepreneurship to Improve the Innovation Performance of Enterprises: Based on the Perspective of Social Network

In order to avoid the negative impact of external disadvantages and changing international business environments, enterprises have an urgent need to establish an effective social network, seek improvement in innovation performance, and stabilize their position in the international market. This paper conducts an exploratory single case study on the Midea Group, investigates the mechanism of international entrepreneurship to improve enterprise innovation performance based on the formation of multiple social networks, including government network, business network, and technological network, and discovers that in the process of international entrepreneurship, three-dimensional social networks contribute to resource conversion, research and development capability, market share, and other factors that boost corporate innovation performance. This research helps to understand the key elements in the process of international entrepreneurship, as well as how to build a close social network with stakeholders, rationally allocate and share various resources, and improve the international business environment and innovation performance of enterprises.

FRIENDSHIP NETWORKS AND HEALTH AMONG BLACK AND WHITE DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS

Abstract Social networks and support protect against health risks associated with dementia caregiving. Yet, little is known about the unique role of friends in the dementia caregiving context, as most prior caregiving studies do not differentiate between family and friends when examining social networks and support. The experience of racism and stronger familial values among Black individuals may affect their friendship networks and the implications of friends for health. This study examines racial differences in the number of friends in close social networks, contact frequency and support from friends, and links with mental health among Black and White dementia caregivers. A total of 98 dementia caregivers (63% White Americans, 90% female, Meanage = 62.66) completed baseline interviews in which their social network and mental well-being were assessed. Findings revealed that White caregivers reported more friends in their close networks than Black caregivers. However, there were no racial differences in contact frequency with network friends, or the frequency of receiving practical and emotional help from friends in assisting patients with dementia. Furthermore, receiving emotional support from friends was linked to lower levels of anxiety and depression, and these effects were greater among White caregivers. Together, this study provides a better understanding of racial disparities in friendship networks among dementia caregivers and their implications for mental health.

SIMILARITY IN HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIORS WITHIN OLDER ADULTS’ CLOSE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract Health-related behaviors are socially contagious, spreading through social networks via multiple mechanisms. It remains unclear though which mechanisms are most salient among older adults. Guided by Social Contagion Theory and the Convoy Model of Social Relations we examine similarity in health-related behaviors (exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption) between older adults and their closest social network members and investigate associations with multiple social factors (homophily, network structure, relationship quality). Data are from Wave 3 of the Detroit-based Social Relations Study collected in 2015. Panel respondents nominated people who were close and important in their lives, and up to the first three nominated were interviewed. Analyses were conducted at the dyad-level, and we selected dyads in which at least one member was age 60 or older (n=247 dyads). Generalized estimating equations were used due to some panel respondents being in multiple dyads. Greater homophily was found to be associated with similarity in both exercise frequency and number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week. Specifically, pairs of close social network members who were more similar in self-rated health were significantly more similar in exercise frequency, and those of the same gender and more similar in age were significantly more similar in alcohol consumption. Network structure, specifically greater contact frequency, was associated with significantly more similarity in alcohol consumption, but less similarity in exercise frequency. Findings suggest the salience of multiple aspects of older adults’ close social relationships that can be incorporated into behavior change interventions and leveraged to encourage healthy lifestyles in later life.

On the Dynamics of Kinship in Migration Processes: Some Perspectives from Historical-Anthropological Studies on North Macedonian migrants in Austria

Abstract: Based on two case studies of immigrants from North Macedonia to Vienna, this article sheds light on the dynamics of kinship in the migration process with regard to immigration, settlement and post-migration. The authors argue that the embeddedness in close trans-local social networks facilitates the access to accommodation and jobs; it also enables a certain degree of psychosocial well-being through mutual support and appears to be advantageous when setting up businesses and homeland associations. By placing kinship at the center of attention, it is essential to acknowledge its cultural diversity in order to avoid western-centric concepts of kinship that differ from concepts predominant in parts of southeastern Europe.

From Impression to Addiction: The Pathways of Adolescent Tobacco Use.

To understand the psychodynamics of tobacco use among 11- to 14-year-olds in Ahmedabad, India. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather information on tobacco use from 5,266 students, aged 11 to 14, enrolled in government-aided English medium schools in Ahmedabad. IBM® SPSS® 26.0 software along with Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. A total of 7.2% (376) had ever used tobacco. Of the users, 96.6% (363) knew it was harmful, 76.3% (287) were boys, and 85.2% (320) were initiated by family and friends. Despite being aware of the dangers of tobacco and being unable to purchase from vendors, children continued to obtain tobacco products, being influenced by their close social networks. An effective cessation measure should be directed toward this psychodynamic etiology.

Antiretroviral Therapy Concealment Behaviors and their Association with Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence among People with HIV: Findings from the Florida Cohort Study.

Little is known about HIV medication concealment behaviors and the effect of medication concealment on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people with HIV (PWH). This study aims to (1) to describe medication concealment behaviors and factors associated with these behaviors, and (2) assess the association between medication concealment and suboptimal ART adherence. The Florida Cohort Study enrolled adult PWH from community-based clinics around the state from October 2020 to September 2022 (n = 416, 62% aged 50+, 56% male, 44% non-Hispanic Black, 18% Hispanic). Participants responded to questions about sociodemographics, stigma, ART adherence (≥ 85%), symptoms of depression, social networks and disclosure to their networks, and actions to conceal ART to avoid inadvertent disclosure of their HIV status. Analyses were conducted using multivariable logistic regressions models. The most common concealment behavior was hiding ART while having guests over (32%), followed by removing ART labels (26%), and putting ART into a different bottle (16%). Overall, 43% reported ≥ 1 behavior. In multivariable models, depressive symptoms, incomplete disclosure of HIV to close social networks, and not having a close social network were associated with ART concealment. After adjusting for risk factors for suboptimal ART adherence, endorsing hiding medication while having guests was associated with suboptimal ART adherence (aOR 2.87, 95% CI 1.15-7.55). Taking any action and other individual behaviors were not associated. ART concealment behaviors were common but did not consistently negatively influence adherence when accounting for other factors. PWH may want to receive ART medications in ways that ensure privacy and reduce the risk of inadvertent disclosure.

Experiences of communication in women with endometriosis: perceived validation and invalidation in different contexts, and associations with health-related quality of life

Endometriosis, a chronic gynecological disease affecting approximately 10% of women of reproductive age, has a significant impact on physical and mental health. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore experiences of validating and invalidating communication in three contexts (with healthcare providers, employers, and family/friends), and whether this may predict health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with endometriosis. Data was collected through a digital survey distributed to women with self-reported endometriosis in Sweden. The survey included measures of validating and invalidating communication, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and HRQoL. A total of 427 women participated. The results indicated that women experienced varying levels of validating and invalidating communication in different contexts, with close family/friends providing the highest level of validation, and healthcare providers the lowest. Furthermore, a combined construct of high levels of validation and low levels of invalidation from healthcare providers and from close family and friends were significant predictors of HRQoL. These findings highlight the importance of supportive communication and understanding from healthcare providers and close social networks in promoting the well-being of women with endometriosis. Future research should further explore the impact of validating communication within healthcare settings and develop interventions to improve communication and support for women with endometriosis.

How convenience and informational tools shape waste separation behavior: A social network approach

Geopolitical risks such as energy crises and local or regional instability aggravate the growing conflict between limited natural resources and increasing consumption, making waste management—using waste as a resource—one of the most urgent agendas in the sustainability domain. Considering individuals' dual attributes (i.e., attitudes and behaviors), we develop an interaction model to investigate waste separation behavior that accounts for convenience and informational tools. Multiagent simulations are performed using data collected from 1056 residents in the top ten Chinese cities by volume of household waste. The results indicate that convenience tools can induce residents to separate waste. In particular, a 160% increase in the adoption rate is observed in response to decreasing (increasing) the distance to collection sites (accessibility to temporary storage facilities for recyclables) from 10 (0) to 0 (10). Publicity and education promote waste separation, as approximately 72% of individuals choose to separate waste when increasing the intensity of popular science propaganda from 0 to 0.2. Interestingly, social interaction appears to have a two-sided effect on waste separation behavior. The adoption rate of such behavior increases with the number of one's connections in sparse social networks, whereas the opposite is found in close social networks. The findings reveal the differentiated impacts of convenience and informational tools on waste minimization and provide new ideas for formulating customized strategies to promote waste separation in sparse (increasing individuals' number of connections) or close (monitoring rumors to achieve a tightly controlled intensity of interaction) social network scenarios.

Factors associated with receiving an initial COVID-19 vaccine among Alaskan residents: results from an online cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT We conducted an online survey of Alaskan adults between May and June, 2022 to identify factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. Of the 948 respondents, approximately 80% reported having received a COVID-19 vaccine. The factors significantly associated with ever receiving COVID-19 vaccine include perceived risk of harm if not vaccinated (PRH), the vaccination status of the respondent’s social network (SNW), gender, and education. For each point increase in PRH score, there was more than three times the odds of having ever been vaccinated (OR = 3.42, p < 0.001); and for every point increase in SNW score, there was more than two times the odds of having ever been vaccinated (OR = 2.15, p < 0.001). Males had more than four times the odds of having ever been vaccinated compared to females (OR = 4.55, p < 0.001). Those with a college degree (OR = 2.80, p < 0.05) had greater odds of ever being vaccinated compared to their counterparts. Findings from this sample suggest that, among Alaskans, ever receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is associated with having a majority of their close social networks who have received COVID-19 vaccine and perceiving that not obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine can pose greater risk of harm to themselves than not getting vaccinated. Practical implications of these findings are provided.

“The person was like the glue in the cracked pot which was no longer there”: Family-focused support for bereavement via co-production of a web-based intervention

Background: Families, friends and support networks are key to managing bereavement. COVID-19 social restrictions prevented families and friends from being with the dying and participating in usual rituals to honour the dead. This resulted in social disconnection, feelings of guilt, and difficulty in making sense of the death and reconstructing relationships. In response to this context a theoretically informed, co-produced web-resource to facilitate meaning-making, which situates bereavement in the context of family and friends, was developed. This paper describes the development of the web-based intervention. Study aims: To co-produce a web-based intervention theoretically informed by the family level extension Dual Process Model and Family Sense of Coherence, and pilot the intervention gaining user feedback to inform refinements in readiness for adoption and implementation. Methods: Following a scoping review, a mixed methods study was undertaken using an online survey via questionnaire and virtual co-production workshop with bereaved people and bereavement professionals. Results: Survey respondents reported the pandemic negatively affected bereavement (guilt, isolation, inability to bear witness) but also presented new opportunities to celebrate the deceased and support the bereaved (new funeral rituals, technology, remote contact, social acknowledgement of grief). Sense-making and managing bereavement were helped through information-giving, support networks, and relocating the person within the family context. A web-resource to facilitate collective grief was viewed positively and endorsed. Key content including family activities to stimulate support, information regarding the range of grief experience and dealing with the practicalities, along with other sources of support was agreed by workshop participants to form the basis of the intervention. Conclusion: The Families in Bereavement intervention encourages consideration of bereavement in the context of close social networks. It enables grief to be understood and managed within a shared experience by promoting communication and meaning-making.

Do CEOs’ social networks affect carbon emissions in China? The moderating role of CEO reputation

Today, it is critical for business and society to manage local and global environmental changes that are degrading every dimension of life. However, there is little evidence on how corporate governance affects firms’ carbon performance from the perspective of CEOs’ social networks. We show that firms with better-networked CEOs have better carbon performance. Our empirical evidence verifies that close social networks between CEOs and TMTs (top management teams) may enhance resource provision rather than aggravate agency problems. Second, we find that CEOs who have received negative media coverage will ensure substantial corporate sustainability practices. Moreover, CEOs will learn carbon knowledge through social networks when firms are in regions with high carbon emissions. These empirical results provide important implications for regulators and managers to improve corporate carbon performance.

“What if the Nankai Trough Earthquake Occurred?”: A Collaboration Between Academia with the Media Using a Newspaper-Making Workshop as a Starting Point to Engage Elementary School Students and Their Parents in Disaster Risk Reduction

Japanese citizens are still not fully prepared for an occurrence of the Nankai Trough Earthquake. In the Japanese population, it is not an easy task to achieve disaster preparedness, and to address issues such as a lack of initiative and low priority in disaster risk reduction (DRR). In their attempt to address these issues, the authors focused on Japanese elementary school students and their parents by conducting a lighthearted workshop that encouraged them to initiate risk reduction activities against disasters caused by natural hazards, including the Nankai Trough Earthquake. The workshop was a nonschool-based DRR activity, and it had the following characteristics: (1) the contents were comprehensively developed from a collaboration between researchers in science and engineering with a disaster science communicator and media personnel; (2) innovative contents were communicated in a creative manner; (3) incorporation of a “newspaper-making” activity; and (4) an online format that easily enabled those who did not have a close social network in the community to participate in it. The workshop was conducted with 21 families, and they developed original newspapers on DRR. The findings of the completed newspapers, participant observations, and questionnaire survey revealed that the workshop was an effective starting point for citizens to proactively engage in DRR, including the Nankai Trough Earthquake.

Transitions in Social Networks From Young-Old to Old-Old Stage of Life Using Latent Transition Analysis.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify the different types of social networks among young-old adults, and to examine the transitions in social networks as they become old-old adults. Methods: This is a secondary data analysis using the longitudinal data (N = 1092) from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Latent class analysis was conducted to identify optimal number of classes and latent transition analysis was conducted to examine the transition probabilities. Results: Young-old adults in Class 1: family-oriented, social (close, external) transitioned into Class 2: family-oriented, non-social over time. In contrast, young-old adults in Class 2: family-oriented, non-social and Class 3: less family-oriented, social (close) were less likely to transition to another class. Conclusion: Older adults engaged in less social activities over time. Older adults should be encouraged to continue their social engagement with close social network of friends and relatives, and to maintain their relationship with family members.

Generativity in Later-Life: The Interplay Between Retirement Status and Human, Social, and Financial Capital

ABSTRACT Generativity has been increasingly recognized as an important component of healthy aging. Although the desire to be generative is influenced by societal and cultural expectations, the relative influence of its driving factors by retirement status, a significant life-course transition, is underexplored. This study examined how later-life generativity is driven by the interplay between retirement status and financial, human and social capital. An online survey targeting Hong Kong adults aged 45+ was conducted. Linear regression models were stratified by retirement status (working and retired) to examine the effects of financial (income, assets, and financial satisfaction), human (education and health-related measures), and social capitals (productive and social engagement) on generativity. Among those working, higher generativity was associated with financial, human, and social capitals that facilitated material provision. Among those retired, human and social capitals that supported the transmission of knowledge and experience were more important for generativity. For both groups, support from close social networks was the strongest predictor. Different cultural demands, dictated by retirement status, play a crucial role in determining how older adults feel like they can contribute to subsequent generations. These findings can inform policies and programs that seek to support healthy transitions into retirement.