Interpersonal Social Networks Research Articles

Factors Influencing Depression in People with Disabilities:Individual and Interpersonal Levels

Abstract Depression is an increasingly important social problem, and this also applies to the disabled, a health-vulnerable group. Although the distribution and influencing factors of depression may be different among the disabled population (young adults vs. the elderly, older adults with disabilities vs. disabilities due to old age), only the high prevalence of depression among the disabled is generally reported. This study seeks to determine the distribution and influencing factors of depression in disabled people according to sociodemographic standards. This study employed data from the 2021 Panel Survey on People with Disabilities (National Unit Survey) to investigate the influence of individual-level factors (health behaviors, health level, environment) and interpersonal-level factors (social network) on depression. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed while controlling for demographic sociological factors and disability characteristic factors. The experience of depression was among elderly disabled individuals (age 50+: 40.9%) than younger ones (age 19-49: 36.1%), and in disability with aging (49.3%) versus aging with disabilities (39.2%) (P < 0.05). Chronic diseases, daily living assistance, living environment, and emotional support from family and neighbors affected both young and elderly disabled individuals. Specifically, among the elderly disabled, exercise frequency (aOR=0.78; [CI]0.63-0.97), social network size (aOR=0.87; [CI]0.82-0.93), and social interaction frequency (aOR=0.68; [CI]0.51-0.91) were significant. Disability with aging was influenced by exercise frequency (aOR=0.29; [CI]0.09-0.95) and emotional support (aOR=0.37; [CI]0.17-0.77) from peers. older adults with disabilities were affected by not only individual-level factors (exercise frequency) but also both functional (emotional support) and structural (size of social network, frequency of meetings) aspects of their interpersonal social networks. Key messages • Depression experiences among older adults with disabilities are influenced by both functional and structural social networks. • Developing depression prevention strategies for people with disabilities requires a customized approach that takes into account age-specific characteristics.

Mobility limitations and emotional dysfunction in old age: The moderating effects of physical activity and social ties.

This study aims to examine the association between mobility limitations and emotional dysfunction among older Ghanaians and evaluate the buffering effect of physical activity (PA) and social ties in this association. The analysis included 1201 adults aged ≥50 from the 2016-17 Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being, and Health-seeking Behavior study. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36) assessed mobility limitations and emotional dysfunction. We measured PA using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Hierarchical OLS regressions were performed to evaluate the hypothesized direct and interactive relationships. The mean age of the sample was 66.2 (SD=11.9), and 63.3% were women. After full adjustment for potential confounders, OLS regressions found that mobility limitations increased the risk of emotional dysfunction (β=0.113, p=0.004). Moreover, social ties (β=-0.157, p<0.001) and PA (β=-0.096, p<0.001) were independently and negatively associated with emotional dysfunction. We finally found a significant effect modification of the association of mobility limitations with emotional dysfunction by PA (β=-0.040, p<0.002) and social ties (β=-0.013, p=0.013). Mobility-enhancing strategies such as engagement in positive behavioral choices, focusing on regular PA, and maintaining resourceful interpersonal social networks can mitigate the impact of mobility limitations on emotional dysfunction in later life.

Bright sides and dark sides: Unveiling the double-edged sword effects of social networks

Social networks have both positive and negative effects as a double-edged sword. However, previous studies have mostly focused on the positive effects of social networks, whereas the negative effects have received less scrutiny and need to be tapped empirically. In this quantitative study, we investigate the multiple effects of social networks, including positive instrumental, positive sentimental, negative instrumental, and negative sentimental effects, using data from the 2020 Urban and Rural Community Survey in China (N = 19,585). The results showed that the four types of effects were manifested during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and were dominated by positive effects. More importantly, social networks can significantly shape individual subjective well-being and social trust. As positive effects, transmitting epidemic information and providing psychological comfort significantly protect subjective well-being and enhance social trust. However, as negative effects, spreading rumors and conveying negative emotions can significantly detriment subjective well-being and undermine social trust. In this regard, future research needs to pay special attention to the double-edged sword effect of social networks to more comprehensively understand the effect of multiple pathways of interpersonal social networks on individuals’ subjective well-being and life opportunities.

Bridging interpersonal and ecological dynamics of cognition through a systems framework of bilingualism.

Human cognition occurs within social contexts, and nowhere is this more evident than language behavior. Regularly using multiple languages is a globally ubiquitous individual experience that is shaped by social environmental forces, ranging from interpersonal interactions to ambient language exposure. Here, we develop a Systems Framework of Bilingualism, where embedded layers of individual, interpersonal, and ecological sociolinguistic factors jointly predict people's language behavior. Of note, we quantify interpersonal and ecological language dynamics through the novel applications of language-tagged social network analysis and geospatial demographic analysis among 106 English-French bilingual adults in Montréal, Canada. Consistent with a Systems view, we found that people's individual language behavior, on a global level (i.e., overall language use), was jointly predicted by the language characteristics of their interpersonal social networks and the ambient linguistic patterns of their residential neighborhood environments, whereas more granular aspects of language behavior (i.e., word-level proficiency) was mainly driven by local, interpersonal social networks. Together, this work offers a novel theoretical framework, bolstered by innovative analytic techniques to quantify complex social information and empower more holistic assessments of multifaceted human behaviors and cognition, like language. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Historical Border Changes, State Building, and Contemporary Trust in Europe

Political borders profoundly influence outcomes central to international politics. Accordingly, a growing literature shows that historical boundaries affect important macro-outcomes such as patterns of interstate disputes and trade. To explain these findings, existing theories posit that borders have persistent effects on individual-level behavior, but the literature lacks empirical evidence of such effects. Combining spatial data on centuries of border changes in Europe with a wide range of contemporary survey evidence, we show that historical border changes have persistent effects on two of the most politically significant aspects of behavior: individuals’ political and social trust. We demonstrate that in areas where borders frequently changed, individuals are, on average, less trusting of others as well as their governments. We argue that this occurs because border changes disrupt historical state-building processes and limit the formation of interpersonal social networks, which leads to lower levels of trust.

Relationships between Participation in Volunteer-Managed Exercises, Distance to Exercise Facilities, and Interpersonal Social Networks in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.

This study aimed to examine the factors related to participation in volunteer-managed preventive care exercises by focusing on the distance to exercise facilities and interpersonal social networks. A postal mail survey was conducted in 2013 in Kasama City in a rural region of Japan. Older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) who were living independently (n = 16,870) were targeted. Potential participants who were aware of silver-rehabili taisou exercise (SRTE) and/or square-stepping exercise (SSE) were included in the analysis (n = 4005). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that social and environmental factors were associated with participation in SRTE and SSE. After adjusting for confounding variables, exercise participation was negatively associated with an extensive distance from an exercise facility in both sexes for SRTE and SSE. Among women, participation in SRTE was negatively associated with weak interpersonal social networks (odds ratio (OR) = 0.57), and participation in SRTE and SSE was negatively associated with being a car passenger (SRTE, OR = 0.76; SSE, OR = 0.60). However, there were no significant interactions between sex and social and environmental factors. Our findings suggest the importance of considering location and transportation to promote participation in preventive care exercise.

Friends in the Profession: Rebel Leaders, International Social Networks, and External Support for Rebellion

AbstractWhat drives foreign state support for rebel organizations? While scholars have examined the geopolitical and organizational factors that fuel foreign support, the role of rebel leaders in this process remains understudied. In this article, we propose that rebel leaders’ personal backgrounds shape their ability to obtain foreign support during conflict. In particular, we argue that rebel leaders with significant prior international experiences—including study abroad, work abroad, military training abroad, and exile—are at an advantage in securing wartime external support for their organizations. These experiences provide opportunities for would-be rebel leaders to interact with a multitude of foreign individuals who may later enter politics or otherwise gain prominence in their respective societies, allowing them to build interpersonal social networks across borders. Such networks offer key points of contact when rebel leaders later seek foreign backing. We test this theory using data from the new Rebel Organization Leaders (ROLE) database, finding robust support for our argument as well as the broader role of rebel leader attributes in explaining external support. Our results underscore the value of incorporating individual leaders and their social networks more squarely into the study of modern war.

New Developments in Social Network Analysis

This review of social network analysis focuses on identifying recent trends in interpersonal social networks research in organizations, and generating new research directions, with an emphasis on conceptual foundations. It is organized around two broad social network topics: structural holes and brokerage and the nature of ties. New research directions include adding affect, behavior, and cognition to the traditional structural analysis of social networks, adopting an alter-centric perspective including a relational approach to ego and alters, moving beyond the triad in structural hole and brokerage research to consider alters as brokers, expanding the nature of ties to include negative, multiplex/dissonant, and dormant ties, and exploring the value of redundant ties. The challenge is to answer the question “What's next in social network analysis?”

The perspective of homeless space in the railway stations of India: A critical understanding through inter-personal network analysis.

There is a global recognition that the homeless in different clusters are isolated social groups. They are highly susceptible to loneliness and related psycho-physical health outcomes owing to their less supportive and fragmented social networks. The conditions are worse in the case of chronic or lifetime homelessness. Beyond this popular notion, other critical perspectives are also there. This paper attempts to analyse the differences in inter-personal social networks between the chronic and the non-chronic homeless groups at a railway junction in India. The data have been collected through structured and semi-structured questionnaires from 28 homeless people (15 chronically and 13 non-chronically homeless) of Burdwan Railway Junction - a vital railway junction of West Bengal, India. The chronically homeless group displays more supportive and compact inter-personal networks in this study than the non-chronic homeless group. Living in the station area for a long time, they have formed a society of their own. Barring some psychological stress and social abuse, the livelihood scenario of these people is relatively stress-free and social networks relations are more intensive and supportive. Considering the outcomes, instead of the housing-first approach of rehabilitation, we favour the development of community shelters with minimum basic amenities close to their present location.

Interpersonal Communication Influence on Health-Protective Behaviors amid the COVID-19 Crisis

ABSTRACT The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has posed substantial threats to global public health. Individuals are extensively exposed to interpersonal sources of health information (e.g., family, friends, colleagues, physicians, and pharmacists). Interpersonal connections often encourage people to question or reinforce other sources of health information, which can affect their perceptions and behaviors. This study integrates research on how exposure to interpersonal health communication affects people’s risk perception and affective responses to influence health-protective behaviors such as health information seeking and adherence to protective measures. Findings from an online survey of U.S. adults (n = 488) demonstrated that risk perception and affective responses serve as behavioral motivation factors. The influences of cognitive and affective responses were greater to the extent that individuals believed the health-protective behaviors are beneficial. Our study illuminates how people engage in preventive health behaviors to protect themselves in the COVID-19 context and demonstrates the influence of interpersonal social networks in motivating such behaviors. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Do Interpersonal Networks Mediate the Relationship Between International Academic Mobility and Entrepreneurial Knowledge?

Temporary international mobility is an increasingly relevant practice amongst academics. However, current literature lacks understanding on whether such mobility influences the individual academics’ entrepreneurial knowledge. This paper hypothesizes that temporary international academic mobility is conducive to the academic’s entrepreneurial knowledge and that interpersonal social networks play a crucial role in the transfer of this knowledge through their strength and size properties. We perform a Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Model and build upon an original survey data set collected amongst 281 Chinese academics. We find that the size of one’s interpersonal social network fully mediates the relationship between international academic mobility and entrepreneurial knowledge. This result points to the importance of a structurally broad - rather than a relationally strong - international social network in the academic’s accumulation of entrepreneurial knowledge abroad.

Facebook-based social support and health: A systematic review.

The rise of social networking sites (SNSs) have provided a new avenue for interpersonal communication. Facebook, as the largest SNS targeted at providing access to interpersonal social networks, has been found to be a source of social support. Facebook-based social support has been found to be beneficial across a number of health outcomes, however, no systematic evaluation of these effects, and the factors that influence them, has been conducted. A systematic review has been conducted to examine the effects of Facebook- based social support on health. A total of 27 studies met selection criteria and were included in the final review. Facebook-based social support was found to impact health across three major domains: general health, mental illness, and well-being. Facebook-based social support was found to improve general physical and mental health, as well as well-being. It was also found reduce to symptomology associated with mental illness, including depression, anxiety, online victimisation, and loneliness. There were a number of behavioural factors that influenced these outcomes, including social comparison, communication competence, and self-disclosure. While the effects of Facebook-based social support was found to be generally positive, future research is required to explore how best to maximise this new form of social support.

The "friend who has already aborted": A look at shared experiences in a virtual community.

The Brazilian research on abortion has pointed to the existence of a paradoxical dynamic about the event. If, on the one hand, it is a taboo subject surrounded by stigma, evidencing an apparent social invisibility of this practice, on the other hand, it is a common event in the reproductive life of women of all social classes, races, and religions, showing a culture of broad sharing of knowledge and practice on the subject. This paper is about the character of the "friend who has already aborted", which appears in narratives about the abortion experience shared publicly on an online platform, understood here as a virtual exchange community on the subject, maintained by the international NGO Women on Web. A virtual ethnography revealed that this person gains prominence in the narratives and the universe of the interpersonal social networks mobilized by women in its abortive course, relationships that stimulate reflection on the place of solidarity among women in the collectivization of knowledge and strategies and the production of a common resistance in the context of clandestinity and stigmatization underpinning the theme of abortion in the country.

Interpersonal social networks and internationalization of traditional SMEs

ABSTRACTThis study aims to understand the role of interpersonal social networks in the international strategies of “traditional SMEs,” namely small firms that are “born local” and that operate in low-tech and non-knowledge-intensive industries. Specifically, building on the social capital approach and the international entrepreneurship literature, this study investigates how the structure and the content of interpersonal social networks affect both the activities of exploration/exploitation of opportunities abroad, as well as the path and the performance of the internationalization processes in the pre-entry and post-entry phases. Results show the dynamics of internationalization as a “social embedded” endeavor, by highlighting heuristics and path-dependent phenomena connected to the features of the interpersonal social networks. Findings contribute to the literature as to the decision-making processes, the role of trust, and the possible negative effects generated by the structure and the content of the interpersonal social networks, including the market withdrawals.

Interpersonal Social Networks and Internationalization of Traditional SMEs

This study aims to understand the role of interpersonal social networks in the international strategies of “traditional SMEs,” namely small firms that are “born local” and that operate in low‐tech and non‐knowledge‐intensive industries. Specifically, building on the social capital approach and the international entrepreneurship literature, this study investigates how the structure and the content of interpersonal social networks affect both the activities of exploration/exploitation of opportunities abroad, as well as the path and the performance of the internationalization processes in the pre‐entry and post‐entry phases. Results show the dynamics of internationalization as a “social embedded” endeavor, by highlighting heuristics and path‐dependent phenomena connected to the features of the interpersonal social networks. Findings contribute to the literature as to the decision‐making processes, the role of trust, and the possible negative effects generated by the structure and the content of the interpersonal social networks, including the market withdrawals.

Socio-technical experiments from the bottom-up: The initial stage of solar water heater adoption in a ‘weak’ civil society

Recent years have witnessed the proliferation of urban experiments responding to low-carbon and sustainable transitions. There is a tendency of prioritizing the role of government interventions in transitions while neglecting the agency of other parties. This tendency is especially true in China, where an authoritarian governance dominates the transition process. The Rizhao case, however, exhibited a distinct bottom-up pattern in the early-stage development of solar water heater (SWH) technology, when both the civil society and the market were still immature. Through this rare case of urban energy transitions in China, this study looks into the sociotechnical experiments from the bottom-up. The study shows that before the intervention of local governments, a niche market of SWH technology was established and consolidated successfully in Rizhao through the mutual effects of both resident-led social experimentation and entrepreneur-led technological experimentation. The study further uncovers that in a less-developed civil society in China, the diffusion of novel innovations relied heavily on interpersonal social networks.

Interpersonal communication about climate change: how messages change when communicated through simulated online social networks

Climate change communication research has mainly focused on how to communicate climate change effectively to the public. By contrast, how such information is then spread through interpersonal social networks has been neglected, despite being an essential component of cultural change. Using a Facebook-like format, we examined what types of climate change messages ‘survive’ when passed between individuals via communication network chains. We found that statements centred on conventional climate change topics (e.g., its impact on the natural world and human health) survived longer in communication chains than those with less conventional topics (e.g., its impact on societal competence, development, or communality). Moreover, statements about gains from mitigation (gain-frames) survived more than those about costs of non-mitigation (loss-frames) in initial communications, but loss-framed information survived more later in communication chains. In light of research showing that climate change messages focused on society and/or gain frames can motivate action, this research highlights a challenge by showing that these messages are less likely to be spread throughout society.

He Said, She Said

This paper examines how interpersonal social networks relate to the voting behavior of men and women. We argue that underlying the gender gap in voting is related to social processes that depend on the partisan and sex composition of networks. Analysis of the 2000 American National Election Study identified two ways that sex differences are relevant to network explanations of voting behavior. First, men have more sex homophily in their networks than women. As men are more likely to be Republican than women, this leads to different discussion environments for men and women. Second, men—and not women—are more likely to share the political opinion of women discussants, but only when they are pro-Bush and the remainder of the network is also supportive. The results support a social model of voting behavior that highlights the importance of social factors (in this case sex) other than just partisan differences.

Clanism

Abstract: * The objectives of this paper are: (1) to present and develop clanism as an indigenous management concept in Central Asia, and (2) to analyze the effect of clanism on a specific management function--human resource management (HRM)--in the concrete context of Kazakhstan. * This exploratory study employs a qualitative research. The data indicate that the degree to which clanism affects HRM practices depends, to a great extent, on the type of company. Clanism's effect is strong in state-owned companies and moderate in privately held companies, while it is weak in the subsidiaries of multinational companies. Furthermore, the influx of western MNCs has influenced Kazakhstani HRM in general and lessened the influence of clanism on HRM. However, some characteristics of the local labor market may strengthen the effect of clanism on HRM practices. * The paper proposes a definition of clanism; discusses the reasons for clanism's existence; investigates how clanism differs from other indigenous concepts, such as blat and guanxi; and analyzes how clanism affects HRM practices in Kazakhstan, a country that is strategically important for international management. Keywords: Clanism * Kazakhstan * Human resource management * Indigenous concept Introduction If newly developed economies (e.g., in Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe) are novel contexts that differ from the regions in which the bulk of management theories originated, research in these contexts must involve some contextualization if the limits of existing theories are to be discovered or if new theories to explain local phenomena are to be developed. (Tsui 2007, p. 1357) Why are indigenous management concepts essential to an understanding of management practices in emerging markets and transitional economies? The institution-based view of international business suggests that the formal institutions in emerging markets and transitional economies have less of an impact than the informal institutions that organize and govern those societies. Although some combination of formal and informal institutional frameworks shapes strategic choices (North 1990), advocates of the "third leg"[1] in the strategy tripod argue that "in situations whereby formal institutions are weak, informal institutions, such as norms governing interpersonal relationships, rise to play a larger role in driving firm strategies and performance" (Peng et al. 2008, p. 927). Therefore, in order to truly understand management practices in these economies, we must consider the powerful role of informal interpersonal social networks; how those networks adapt and change over time; and how they create, affect, constrain or undermine management practices in firms operating in these environments. Thus far, much of the literature has focused on the importance of such indigenous concepts as guanxi in China and blat in Russia. Indian dharma and South African ubuntu have also entered the discussion. One indigenous concept that is essential for understanding management practices in the emerging region of Central Asia has not yet attracted the attention of management scholars. Western political scientists refer to this concept as clanism (see e.g., Schatz 2004; Collins 2006). In the political science literature, a clan is defined as an informal organization comprised of a network of individuals linked by immediate and distant kinship, and by fictive kin identities. While kinship ties (blood ties) are rooted in the extended family, fictive kinship ties include individuals that are part of a network as a result of marriage, family alliances, school ties, long-lasting friendships or neighborhood affiliations (Collins 2006). Clanism has never been developed as a management concept and its implications for managerial practices have not been studied. This is unfortunate, as we believe that a deeper understanding of clanism as an indigenous management concept will contribute to debates on whether western managerial practices, ideas and concepts can coexist with local practices. …

From the Assembly Hall to the Boarding House: Identifying Spaces in Transition—A Sociological Reexamination of Shen Congwen’s Early Experiences

This article takes Shen Congwen’s early experiences as a set of historical materials, and uses them to analyze changes in the self-constructed identity of a young littérateur in the midst of Beijing’s transformations. These transformations include new modes of social mobility, the reconstruction of urban cultural structures, changes in interpersonal social networks, and restrictions to increases in social class. They represent social preconditions for much of the early history of New Literature. Accordingly, this essay attempts to create new narrative possibilities in the literary history of the period.