Family Networks Research Articles

Hierarchical Associative Networks of Family and Values

Abstract In this research, the opinions about family and values of public administration representatives were examined. Based on online questionnaires, the research sample included 428 civil servants and scientists from various ministries, faculties, schools, libraries, institutes, and municipalities. Opinions in the form of classified data for civil servants were converted into numerical data and presented in networks. It is possible to illustrate various scenarios about diverse types of decision-making processes, within which either feminine or masculine value emphases predominate. The present study has opened an interesting area of research on hierarchical associative networks of family and values. Researching such networks, whether they concern individuals, families, or diverse societies, could support us to improve various decision-making models. Hierarchical associative value networks will play a meaningful role in decision-making in a variety of ways and the upcoming development of the family. Future research could go in the direction of measuring and analyzing hierarchical associative networks of values in specific families and other social environments like within e.g., health, police, industry, military. This would provide an excellent insight into the mental concepts of people and across different social zones (e.g., migration zone, cultural zone, industrial zone, trade zone, government zone).

Qualitative Study of Perinatal Mental Health Services: Experiences and Perspectives of Health Workers and Patients

The perinatal period is a transitional period that is vulnerable to changes in women's relationships with partners, family, friends, and wider social networks. This study aims to determine how perinatal mental health services are based on the experiences of health workers and patients. This research is qualitative research with a case study design. The informants in this study were 6 informants, namely 2 health workers and 4 patients with a history of perinatal mental health disorders. The instruments used in this study were structured interview guidelines, interviews were conducted in health facilities and patients' homes. Thematic data analysis using the Collaizi protocol. Qualitative data from this study raised six themes, namely "symptoms of perinatal mental health disorders", "causes of perinatal mental health disorders", "management of mental health disorders", "prevention of perinatal mental health disorders", "barriers to perinatal mental health services", and "support". Pregnant, maternity and postpartum women are vulnerable to mental health problems, especially if a woman is faced with family neglect and lack of husband's support during pregnancy. It is important for health workers, especially midwives, to examine women's problems more comprehensively during antenatal care.

A configurational approach to transnational families: Who and where is one's family in the case of mobile older adults?

AbstractThis article introduces a novel transnational family configuration (TNFC) approach to study the diversity of family forms across kinship and geographical boundaries. Integrating theoretical insights from family sociology and transnational family research, it examines contemporary families as personal networks that encompass both subjectively identified and potentially transnationally dispersed kin and non‐kin members. Drawing on original survey data and in‐depth interviews with adults aged 55+ living in Switzerland, it compares migrants’ and non‐migrants’ personal family networks. The results indicate that these networks are both diverse and transnational. Although there is a strong correlation between transnationality and migration background, other life‐course factors also contribute to the development of transnational family networks beyond the scope of migrant ‘exceptionalism’. By advocating the adoption of a TNFC approach to the study of contemporary families, in diverse population groups and various cultural contexts, this study paves the way for future research in this area.

Perceived Social Support and Associated Factors among Caregivers of Individuals with Heart Failure: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study

Background. Caregivers are crucial in ensuring that their relatives with heart failure (HF) reach proper self-care levels. Despite this, the demanding nature of caring for others can lead to poor outcomes and the compromise of own needs, which raises the need for perceived social support. Prior research does not offer a thorough knowledge of how caregivers of people with HF regarded social support and the characteristics that went along with it. Purpose. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of perceived social support and its associated factors among caregivers of individuals with heart failure. Methods. This is a secondary analysis of a convergent mixed-methods design study. The perception of social support, mutuality, anxiety, depression, and quality of life were assessed in 158 heart failure patients and their caregivers (physical and mental dimensions). In 50 caregivers, we also performed semistructured interviews. Results. The mixed analysis and integration of qualitative and quantitative inferences revealed two main factors affecting perceived social support. First, caregivers with strong familial network and greater number of caregivers available for tangible caregiving support and moral support perceived increased sense of social support. Second, caregivers with enhanced mental health had increased sense of social support. Conclusions. Caregiver perception of social support might be influenced by mental well-being status. To improve caregivers’ perceptions of social support and community belonging, it is necessary to create and assess community- and individual-based mental health promotion interventions. To strengthen the perception of support in the heart failure caring process, more dyadic strategies should be established to improve patient-caregiver mutuality.

Youth educational mobility and the rural family in China

Urban-rural economic opportunity gaps drive rural youth to seek economic stability by migrating away from home and family. The links between educational attainment and economic outcomes for rural youth are well studied in China and elsewhere, but the implications of educational mobility for rural family relationships remain less understood. Extending tenets of second demographic transition theory, we posit that education sets the stage for “individualization:” geographic mobility for urban work distant from rural family networks. Educational mobility may thus set conditions for upending traditional family co-residence patterns, direct-support relationships, and family-gender attitudes. In this paper, we consider first whether educational advancement is associated with urban economic mobility for rural youth in young adulthood, and then ask whether education is linked to disruption of rural family relations. Specifically, using the case of children growing up in rural northwest China, we estimate relationships between secondary and tertiary educational attainment and (1) economic stability, (2) intergenerational geographic separation and material exchange, and (3) traditional family and gender role attitudes, after adjusting for potential confounders. Results show that for both men and women, education is associated with greater economic stability in young adulthood, across several measures, and with an erosion of adherence to traditional family and gender attitudes. Moreover, for men, education correlates to less family proximity and more material exchange.

A safe haven? Women's experiences of violence in Australian immigration detention

Western nations like Australia should be safe havens for people fleeing their home countries due to war, persecution, and other threats. People make often perilous journeys in search of asylum expecting protection from violence. However, these expectations are not matched by the realities of Australian immigration detention. This study explores the realities of detention by analysing women's experiences of violence, including intimate partner violence, within Australian long-term immigration detention. The study uses quantitative data derived from 629 Commonwealth Ombudsman reports on 252 women. The results show that violence against women is rife in Australian detention facilities, where women are victims of multiple forms of violence perpetrated by partners, families, other detainees, and staff. Personal and situational factors are explored, including type and length of detention, family and kinship networks, as well as previous experiences of violence.

Forming an alliance: mentor’s perspectives on the role of family and social networks in cross-racial mentoring relationships with black youth

ABSTRACT Little is known about how mentors’ interactions with youths’ families and broader social networks influences the mentoring relationship while considering differences in race and socioeconomic status between the mentor and the youth. This study utilized a constructivist grounded theory to examine how non-Black volunteer mentors perceived their interactions with the youth’s family impacted the youth mentoring relationship. The findings highlight the many benefits of mentors establishing a genuine connection with youths’ families and social networks and underline some of the difficulties associated with racial and class differences between the mentor and the youths’ family and social network.

Living with polypharmacy: a narrative interview study with older Pakistanis in East London

BackgroundPolypharmacy is a growing and major public health issue. It can be burdensome and risky for patients and costly to healthcare systems. Older adults and those from ethnic minority backgrounds are disproportionately affected by polypharmacy. This study focuses on medication practices among Urdu-speaking Pakistani patients, a significant ethnic group in the UK. Most existing research on medication practices within South-Asian communities centres on adherence, leaving the social and moral dimensions of polypharmacy unpacked. Understanding how British Pakistani patients understand and manage polypharmacy in the context of their daily lives is crucial to avoiding harmful polypharmacy.MethodsIn-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 15 first-generation Pakistani patients using the Biographical Narrative Interview Method. Participants were recruited from GP practices in East London. All participants were prescribed ten or more regular medications (a pragmatic marker of ‘higher risk’ polypharmacy) and were aged over 50. Interviews were conducted with a bilingual researcher at home and were designed to elicit narratives of patients’ experiences of polypharmacy in the context of their biographies and daily lives.ResultsPolypharmacy is enacted through networks of interpersonal and socio-material relationships. The doctor-patient relationship and the family network held particular significance to study participants. In addition, participants described emotional bonds between themselves and their medicines, identifying them as ‘forces for good’—substances which allowed them to maintain their health through the intercession of God. Meanings attributed to medicines and enacted through these social, emotional, and spiritual relationships contributed to emerging and sustaining polypharmacy.ConclusionsPatients make sense of and manage treatments in culturally specific ways. Developing an understanding of how medication practices in different communities are enacted is important for informing meaningful and effective conversations with patients about their medicines. Our findings contribute to enabling the integration of culturally sensitive approaches to prescribing.

Family Language Policies of Multilingual Families during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Israel, and Sweden

This study explored the language and literacy practices of multilingual families in Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Israel, and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses on the different roles of family members in language transmission in order to understand whether these practices might have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to answer two key research questions: RQ1, whether and how the pandemic conditions affected the heritage language, societal language acquisition, and heritage language literacy learning environments in the five countries examined (Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Israel, and Sweden); and RQ2, what is the nature of child and parental agency in facilitation of the possible changes in the corresponding five countries? Fifty semi-structured interviews (ten in each country) were conducted. The data highlighted the factors that triggered changes in family language policy during the pandemic and the role of the child’s agency, parents, extended family, and social network during this period. Based on our findings, we argue that the pandemic conditions gave the children new opportunities for agency when it comes to language and literacy choice and communication with extended family members. This even facilitated new sources of input and suggested the active role of a child as an agent in shaping family language policy in the family.

The relationship between perceived stress and pregnancy distress with self-care of pregnant women: The mediating role of social support-A cross-sectional study.

Pregnancy is a stressful experience, which can affect different aspects of a woman's life. Yet, women with a supportive network of friends and family may experience lower stress and improved self-care behavior. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and pregnancy distress with the self-care of pregnant women, as well as the mediating role of social support. This cross-sectional study was conducted from February to May 2022 in Babol, Iran. A total of 157 pregnant women participated in the study. The participants completed five questionnaires, including a demographic and obstetric questionnaire, a Self-care questionnaire, Perceived Social support (PSS), Perceived Stress Inventory (PSI), and Pregnancy Specific Distress. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis relationships among the variables. We found that Perceived stress (β = -0.221, p = 0.012β) and pregnancy distress (β = -0.203, p = 0.002β) had a negative and significant effect on the self-care of pregnant women. Also, perceived stress (β = -0.429, p < 0.001β) and pregnancy distress (β = -0.381, p < 0.001β) had a negative and significant effect on the social support of pregnant women. The results exhibited a significant specific indirect effect between pregnancy distress, perceived stress, and pregnancy self-care, with social support as the mediator: standardized indirect effect = -0.068, -0.076, respectively. According to the findings, social support plays a direct and mediating role in improving self-care behaviors among pregnant women. Therefore, providing strategies and measures to improve perceived social support by maternal health professionals may be expected to reduce the impact of stress on pregnant women's self-care. The implementation of policies and social interventions to improve the social support of pregnant women can be one of the applications of the findings.

Path analysis of current status and influencing factors of nutritional literacy among community-dwelling older adults

The aim of this study is to investigate the current status of nutritional literacy among community-dwelling elderly individuals in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, as well as the associated influencing factors and pathways. The Nutritional Literacy Assessment Scale for community-dwelling older adults and a questionnaire on factors influencing nutritional literacy were utilized. Descriptive statistics, stratified linear regression, and path analysis were employed to determine the influencing factors and pathways of nutritional literacy. The nutritional literacy rate among community-dwelling older adults in Hangzhou was moderate, with functional nutritional literacy being the highest and critical nutritional literacy being the lowest. Factors such as gender, education level, self-efficacy, healthy lifestyles, family and social networks, living environment, and policies were found to influence nutritional literacy. There is scope for improvement in the nutritional literacy level among older adults in the community in Hangzhou, particularly in terms of critical and interactive nutritional literacy.

Was the Medici Really the Most Powerful Family in Florence? Analysis of the Relationship Network of the 15th Century Florentine Merchant Families

In Florence in the 15th century, several families competed for power, during which they developed complicated business and family relationships. These families can be considered the big companies of the age. The results of network science have shown that a company's market power is determined not only by its financial and market positions, but also by its network position in the business network. The purpose of the research is to present the role of 15th-century Florentine families in their network of relationships and the resulting power position using quantitative methods. The research considers the business and family relationships of families as a multi-layered, complex network and examines them using network science methods. The research shows which families occupied the various positions of power in the complex network of relationships, and which families formed close groups within the network. One of the new areas of 21st century management is the network management, which focuses on examining the internal and external network of companies. The research examines the business positions of 15th-century Florentine families using the network management approach.

Quality of Relationships and Caregiver Burden: A Longitudinal Study of Caregivers for Advanced Cancer Patients.

In a longitudinal design, this study investigates the role of the quality of relationships in the well-being of caregivers for a family member with advanced cancer, specifically, the quality of relations among family members and the caregiver's commitment to caregiving. Following the stress process model, good quality of relations and caregiver's high commitment should be resources mitigating caregiver burden, even though overinvestment in the caregiver role may lead to the opposite outcome. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of 336 caregivers of advanced cancer patients in an urban community, who were interviewed shortly after patient diagnosis and again 3 months later. Caregiver burden is measured by 4 subscales (17 items) of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment. We used a random-effect model to investigate the association between caregiver burden and the 2 focused contributing factors-caregiver commitment and family relationship quality-when other covariates were controlled. A fixed-effect model then examines the association between the changes in caregiver burden and related time-varying factors, including caregiver commitment, when family relationship quality was used as a moderator. Both the random and fixed-effect models consistently show that a cancer caregiver's positive commitment to the patient reduces caregiver burden, and family relationship quality provides an overall moderating influence that reduces the felt burden. The quality of relations between the caregiver and patient and with others in the family network is critical in understanding caregiver burden in advanced cancer and should be viewed as part of long-term family dynamics.

Whakawhanaungatanga-Building trust and connections: A qualitative study indigenous Māori patients and whānau (extended family network) hospital experiences.

Investigated the experiences of Māori (the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, New Zealand) patients and whānau (extended family network) engaging with acute hospital inpatient services and their priorities for a Māori-centred model of relational care. A qualitative Māori-centred research design using a Thought Space Wānanga (learning through in-depth group discussion, deliberation and consideration) approach. Two wānanga were conducted between May 2022 and June 2022, with 13 Māori patients who had been acutely hospitalized within the past 12 months and their whānau members. The first wānanga utilized storytelling and journey mapping to collect data. The second wānanga refined the initial themes. Wānanga were audio-recorded and then inductively coded and developed into themes. Thirteen patients and whānau attended the first wānanga, while 10 patients and whānau participated in the second wānanga). Four themes were developed: (1) Whakawhanaungatanga (establishing connections and relationships), (2) Whakamana (uplifting the status and esteem of Māori), (3) Whakawhitiwhiti kōrero (the importance of communicating, discussing and deliberating) and (4) Kotahitanga (working together with purpose) all provide insights into the importance of effectively engaging and connecting with Māori patients and whānau when acutely hospitalized. The experiences and priorities of Māori patients and whānau affirm the international literature, suggesting that Indigenous relational concepts are critical to building relationships, connections and trust. Despite existing healthcare models for working with Indigenous peoples, their poor application contributes to sub-optimal healthcare experiences at all points of their healthcare journey. A relational mode of practice focused on engagement and forming connections better meets the needs of Indigenous peoples engaging with inpatient health services. Despite the existence of Indigenous models of care, Indigenous peoples consistently report a lack of engagement and connection when accessing inpatient health services. Without establishing relationships, applying models of care is challenging. What problem did the study address? Internationally, healthcare systems are consistently ill-equipped to deliver culturally safe care for Indigenous and marginalized peoples, evident in ongoing health inequities. Like other reports of Indigenous experiences of health services, Māori express dissatisfaction with care delivery in an acute inpatient setting. This study investigated Māori patients and whānau experiences engaging with acute hospital inpatient services and their priorities for a Māori-centred model of relational care. What were the main findings? Māori patients and whānau recounted negative experiences with healthcare professionals lacking effective relationships and trust. Satisfaction occurred when engagement with health care professionals resembled Indigenous cultural rituals of encounter that considered their holistic, collective and dynamic worldviews. Previous models of relational care, while helpful, are not Indigenous and so do not address their needs, such as engagement as a mode of practice (how) to achieve this. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? This research impacts Indigenous peoples' health outcomes, particularly Māori, and nurses and clinicians working and interacting within acute inpatient and other hospital settings. Indigenous research methods support co-constructing knowledge for translation into practical outcomes through transformational practices, policies and theory development. We used the Consolidated Criteria for Strengthening the Reporting of Health Research Involving Indigenous Peoples (CONSIDER) statement (see File S2-CONSIDER Checklist) and the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines (see File S3-COREQ Checklist). Māori patients and their whānau interviewed about their experiences were involved in data interpretation.

Multi-Functional Ties and Well-Being in Family Networks before and after Parental Divorce

This family network study analyses family relationships and well-being from the perspectives of 144 children, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles in 41 families. The study investigates whether multi-functional family ties, i.e., ties that serve multiple needs simultaneously, are associated with higher well-being, and whether these multi-functional ties are especially important in families that have experienced parental divorce. Additionally, the study examines whether receiving such ties from nuclear or extended family members contributes to well-being. The results of the study indicate that receiving multi-functional ties is associated with higher well-being, especially when these ties are received from one’s nuclear family members. When comparing retrospective reports with prospective reports, family members from families that experienced parental divorce report an increase in well-being over time. However, this effect cannot be attributed to a change in the number of multi-functional ties received.

Phase space visibility graph

We introduce a topological approach for quantifying the dynamical complexity of time series. A novel complex network of visibility graph family is proposed based on defining visibility algorithm in phase space. The statistical properties of the constructed network show powerful potentiality for distinguishing stochastic and chaotic systems. And for some remarkable chaotic systems, it allows for quantitative correspondence with Lyapunov exponents. The potential practical application of this approach is demonstrated on the multiphase flow system and bearing fault identification. This work paves a natural way constructing complex network in phase space, and provides a complexity quantitative estimate for chaotic time series.

Evaluation of Family and Community Social Network Characteristics Among High-Risk Family Members to Improve Cancer-Related Health Behaviors.

To evaluate the effects of social network characteristics of individuals with a family history of cancer on the use of cancer-related services (e.g., screening, genetic counseling/testing). 170 family members of individuals with the most common hereditary or familial cancers. Data collection occurred between March and September 2021 using an online survey. Having strong within-immediate family relationships and family members who underwent more screening procedures was associated with increased breast cancer screening, and having more family members with cancer was associated with colorectal cancer screening. Having a large family, having family members who underwent screening for more cancers, and having strong social cohesion among families were associated with an increased rate of genetic testing. Nurses working with families affected by cancer should focus on strategies to strengthen relationships among family members to improve knowledge of cancer screening and available genetic services.

The role of bridging programmes in supporting student persistence and prevention of attrition: a UK case study

ABSTRACT Social mobility, and in particular, intergenerational mobility, can be driven by increased opportunities for extended education. Movement beyond a family’s social class will often see positive changes to overall life satisfaction, however, this movement can introduce feelings of alienation. This in turn can lead to detachment either from the social group or, more likely, from the educational provision. As such, institutions are spending time and resources to investigate strategies for retention. This study looks at the impact of foundation year bridging programmes and the potential they have to increase course retention and persistence of students. A retrospective statistical analysis of seven academic years (using chi square) highlighted that completion of a foundation year bridging programme before a traditional undergraduate degree increased the likelihood of persistency and decreased the attrition rate of students from low participation neighbourhoods. These findings, when considered alongside seminal theoretical frameworks such as Spady, Pascarella, and Tinto, confirm the role which family and social background must play in a student’s ability to complete an undergraduate degree. Family and other social support networks are known to play a role in the provision of a supportive environment for students and the undertaking of a bridging programme allows time for the adaptation and development of new friendship groups and increase a family’s familiarity with the pressures of higher education. Higher education providers may, therefore, be able to begin to tackle attrition and improve their course retention through family education and through the encouragement of social integration via bridging programmes.

Food laborers as stewards of island biocultural diversity: reclaiming local knowledge, food sovereignty, and decolonization

Creating nutritious and ecologically regenerative food cultures depends on the local knowledge of food system laborers. Food producers in small island developing states center socioecological interdependence in their livelihoods and, as such, conserve biocultural diversity. Amid burgeoning health, economic, and climate crises brought on by colonialism, reclaiming food sovereignty requires a critical and embodied scientific approach, one that considers what traditional ecological knowledge is and who creates and sustains it. This study positions laborers as the primary sources of knowledge in island food systems; discusses declines in nutrition and agrobiodiversity as consequences of food labor loss; and proposes laborers' stewardship as essential to regenerating self-determination. Using critical quasi-ethnographic methods, this report synthesized primary data from narrative interviews in Guam (Guåhan, n = 13) and Puerto Rico (Borikén, n = 30), two former colonies of Spain and current territories of the United States, as specific examples of place-based knowledge production, interwoven into critical discussion of broader literature in this space. Our findings show that local food laborers combine intergenerational, ecosystem-specific knowledge with robust human value systems, negotiating across competing economic, cultural, and ecological needs to sustain livelihoods and regenerate biodiversity. As well-connected nodes in family and community networks, laborers serve as the scaffolding on which compassionate and relational care can thrive. Trade policies and the market dominance of transnational food corporations have severely reduced local food production in favor of food import dependence in islands, aggravating labor shortages and augmenting food insecurity. Through waves of out-migration and cash remittance, social care relationships have become monetized, reinforcing mass-produced food consumption and dietary diversity loss as islanders, both at home and in the diaspora, transition to an industrialized diet. The loss of local labor similarly poses threats to agrobiodiversity, with export-oriented agribusiness simplifying landscapes to streamline extraction. This study demonstrates that to reclaim food systems in Guam, Puerto Rico, and similar island settings, laborers must be valued as stewards of cultural and agrobiodiversity and can be integral to efforts that preserve cultures, agroecosystems, and health.

The decision-making ecology of child welfare emergency placements

Child welfare decisions are often made amid uncertainty, in which child welfare workers must consider a range of complex factors. Especially in emergency cases, the decision process is often challenging due to limited time and information. Based on individual interviews with child welfare workers from Norwegian child welfare services (n = 19) and emergency services (n = 7), this article examines what affects decisions being made in emergency cases. Interviews were thematically analysed. As a framework, the decision-making ecology is used as an inspiration. Results show that case factors influencing decisions were specifically the topic of concern; parents’ attitudes; family network, and the child’s wishes. One decision-maker factor was CW workers’ experience, and for organizational factors, the participants emphasized clear routines for what to do in emergency cases, working as a team, and considering family networks. For external factors, other agencies’ assessments of the case; guidelines, and available alternative measures were found to influence the decisions. These various factors seem to have a dynamic and, at times, competing influence in several cases.To facilitate better decision-making in emergency cases, child welfare leaders should foster an organizational culture that emphasizes reflection on and awareness of how different factors and their dynamics influence decisions. This could also serve as the foundation for policy changes related to external factors affecting these decisions.