Interpersonal Networks Research Articles

Does the apple fall far from the tree? The role of parental influence on sociability among the children of immigrants

ABSTRACT We explore, using a unique Italian survey dataset containing matching parent–child information, the determinants shaping sociability patterns among the children of immigrants. While it is well-known that long-term migration disrupts interpersonal networks, little is known about the consequences of such disruption for the offspring of immigrants. Adopting a multilevel approach that allows for the consideration of different individual and parental characteristics, we investigate such effects. Our findings reveal that the size and diversity of core discussion networks among immigrant parents are strongly associated with those of their children. Contrary to widespread belief, once the actual sociability patterns of parents are taken into account, out-group attitudes, religious affiliation, and religiosity of the parents play no significant role in determining the size and composition of the close relationships of their children. We consequently put forward the hypothesis that parents may lead mostly by example. Consequently, an adequate understanding of the structure of the core discussion networks of the children of immigrants requires paying attention to the actual interpersonal networks that children have been exposed to within their households.

Taming the wildfire infosphere in Interior Alaska: Tailoring risk and crisis communications to specific audiences

Increasingly frequent wildfires are affecting residents in the wildland-urban interface in Interior Alaska. How might fire communicators convey risk and crisis information to meet growing concerns about wildfire impacts among a diverse audience of residents? This research draws on focus group data to map residents' understandings of the infosphere of Interior Alaska throughout the stages of wildfire events. Residents’ different information-seeking habits reflect their particular concerns related to family and work, levels of trust in government and media, and personal networks. Fire communicators can best cater to these audiences by using a tailored approach. To explore what this might look like, we employ portraiture methodology to form composite portraits of four example audiences for wildfire information: residents who are energetic information seekers, those too busy to actively seek out information, residents who are off the grid, and those who are part of Indigenous communities with strong interpersonal networks. Using portraiture methodology allows us to capture the richness and nuance of the contexts in which risk and crisis information-seeking takes place while contributing to filling a knowledge gap on how best to tailor information to specific audiences. Risk and crisis communications designed with the diversity of these portraits in mind might more effectively reach their intended audiences with the most relevant information.

Where Do Perceived Norms Supporting Child Corporal Punishment Come From? A Study of Low-Income Parents

ABSTRACT Although the influence of perceived norms on health behavior has been well researched, the sources of normative perceptions remain understudied. Drawing on the theory of normative social behavior, this study investigated factors shaping descriptive norms associated with child corporal punishment among a sample of low-income Black, Hispanic, and White parents (N = 260). Hierarchical regression results showed that childhood experiences of corporal punishment, direct observation, and interpersonal communication valence were significantly associated with descriptive norms. Path analysis confirmed the direct association between descriptive norms and behavioral intentions, as well as the mediating role of descriptive norms in linking the norm sources and behavioral intentions. Results also revealed that interpersonal network size and interpersonal communication valence jointly affected descriptive norms among parents who talked to others in their proximal networks about applying this disciplinary measure. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Innovation and internationalization in an emerging market context: Moderating effects of interpersonal and organizational social networks

Innovation and internationalization in an emerging market context: Moderating effects of interpersonal and organizational social networks

Interpersonal relationships in Hungary – an overview

Our paper aims to demonstrate that social structure has significant impact on the formation ofinterpersonal relations. We review and analyse the characteristics of ego-centric interpersonalnetworks of Hungarians based on data from nationally representative adult population surveysbetween the mid-1980’s up to 2015. We focus especially on core discussion networks, friendshipties and weak ties and analyse how the transition to market economy influenced interpersonalrelationships. As expected, the large-scale social changes brought about by the transitionchanged interpersonal networks as well. During the first decade of the transition (in the 1990’s)one could not witness a significant change of personal networks, nonetheless the adaptationprocess was easier for people supported by strong, traditional family ties. Non-kin ties, especiallyfriendships seem to gain significance at the expense of kin relationships. Overall, resourcesavailable through weak ties seem to be decreasing.

The Value of Interpersonal Network Continuity for College Students in Disruptive Times.

The COVID-19 pandemic-related social distancing practices that colleges implemented in Spring 2020 disrupted the typical mechanisms of propinquity (physical proximity) and homophily (shared characteristics) that physical institutions rely on to help students build and maintain relationships critical to learning and wellbeing. To explore how social distancing shaped students' academic and social networks and associated educational outcomes, we conceptualized it as a "network shock" and collected unique ego network data in April 2020. For participating students, maintaining interactions with the same set of individuals before and after social distancing was related to more positive outcomes across a range of self-reported wellbeing and learning indicators. On average, students experienced a loss of frequent academic contacts, while they maintained or replaced social interactions in their interpersonal networks after social distancing. Our investigation of the ways students experienced changes in their social and academic networks after a loss of physical proximity points to the role of interpersonal interaction network continuity for fostering wellbeing and learning in times of disruption, as well as the potential need for support in maintaining or rebuilding academic networks.

Public Trust in the Time of Pandemic: An Analysis of Social Networks in the Discourse of Large-Scale Social Restrictions in Indonesia

This article discusses public trust in the Indonesian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, explicitly focusing on the discourse surrounding large-scale social restrictions (LSSR). In a time of uncertainty, the public requires timely and actual information, most of which is gathered through online media, with Twitter being one such medium. This article applies social network analysis to examine how information about the restrictions is shared and discussed on social media platforms and how this discourse may impact public trust in government institutions in the first phase of pandemic handling. Although LSSR is the government’s policy, this study shows that the interpersonal network plays a more significant part in distributing information, indicating a legitimacy crisis of formal and authoritative sources of information. The negative sentiment voiced by critics did not show public rejection of the implementation of LSSR. On the contrary, what was implied by those critics was public doubt against the consistency and firmness of LSSR implementation—because of this, restoring public trust requires planned information management to communicate risks to those who are affected by LSSR implementation, as well as managing negative sentiments that arise as a response.

Misinformation Blocking Problem in Virtual and Real Interconversion Social Networks

With the in-depth development of intelligent media technology, online and offline fusion, reality and virtual entanglement, information content generalization, the boundary between positive and negative information is blurred, all kinds of misinformation in the social network fission spread, and cyberspace governance has become a global consensus. In this article, we comprehensively consider the spread of misinformation in location-based interpersonal social network and online social network, and systematically tackle the novel problem of minimizing the influence of misinformation under individual protection strategies. We first analyze the complexity and modularity of the problem. Then, we leverage the Lovász extension to devise a nonsubmodular set function continuity approximate convex relaxation method, and develop an approximate projected subgradient procedure to obtain a solution with a factor approximate guarantee. Finally, experiments on three assembled real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of our designed method and developed the algorithm.

Development and validation of Chinese college students' future employability scale.

COVID-19 and the pandemic-induced lockdowns juxtaposed against the surge in the number of college graduates have made the dilemma of "fierce competition and difficult employment" more real. The employment of college students has become a topic of serious concern in society. This study aimed to develop a Future Employability Scale for Chinese college students and evaluate its reliability and validity. Based on the analysis of the literature, the study developed the initial measurement scale of the college students' future employability and calibrated the initial measurement and question volume based on experts' feedback. First, the students' group was measured, and data from 389 university students were collected and analyzed. Second, the data collection and verification factor analysis of 387 university students were collected and verified, and the internal consistency reliability, split-half reliability, and validity of the scale were evaluated. Further, 68 college students were selected to evaluate their test-retest reliability after an interval of one month. The Future Employability Scale of college students had 28 items covering four dimensions: knowledge skill, personality quality, interpersonal network, and career development. The reliability test found that the total scale of the Future Employability Scale and the internal consistency reliability, split-half reliability, and retest reliability of each dimension were good, and the validity test suggested that the scale had good content validity, structural validity, and calibration correlation validity. With a clear structure, good reliability, and validity, the Future Employability Scale is a good tool to measure the future employability of college students.

Young Australians Navigating the ‘Careers Information Ecology’

The policy orientations of advanced neoliberal democracies situate young people as rational actors who are responsible for their own career outcomes. While career scholars have been critical of how this routinely ignores the unequal effects of structural constraints on personal agency, they have long suggested that young people should have access to the best available ‘roadmaps’ and advice to navigate the uncertainties baked into the contemporary economic landscape. Complementing the significant attention that is given to the (potentially emancipatory) experience of formal careers guidance, we present findings from a multi-method study. We explore young Australians’ (aged 15–24) navigation of careers information through a nationally representative survey (n = 1103), focus groups with 90 participants and an analysis of 15,227 social media comments. We suggest that the variety of formal and informal sources pursued and accessed by young people forms a relational ‘ecology’. This relationality is twofold. First, information is often sequential, and engagements with one source can inform the experience or pursuit of another. Second, navigation of the ecology is marked by a high level of intersubjectivity through interpersonal support networks including peers, family and formal service provision. These insights trouble a widespread, but perhaps simplistic, reading of young people having largely internalised a neoliberal sensibility of ‘entrepreneurial selfhood’ in their active pursuit of a range of career advice. Throughout our analysis, we attend to the ways that engagement in the career information ecology is shaped by social inequalities, further underscoring challenges facing careers guidance and social justice goals.

Do direct and indirect network externalities matter? Unpacking the causal antecedents of perceived gratifications and user loyalty toward mobile social media

PurposeBy building and examining an integral model, the principal objectives of this research are to systematically explore how indirect and direct network externalities lead to user loyalty toward WeChat through the mediating effect of perceived gratifications.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through an online survey of 688 young people in Mainland China. To empirically assess the conceptual model, zero-order correlation analyses and structural equation modeling were carried out utilizing web-based data.FindingsPath analysis results demonstrate that indirect network externalities and direct network externalities exert a significant impact on users' hedonic gratifications and utilitarian gratifications. Moreover, the study discovers the significant mediating influences of utilitarian gratifications on the association between indirect network externalities and user loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsTheoretically, this article may extend the scope of diverse studies on the association between network externalities and perceived gratifications and offer fresh insights into how mobile social media could actually improve user loyalty through enhancing perceived values among younger generation. Practically, this research assists mobile social media practitioners in retaining users and gaining competitive advantages over rival applications.Originality/valueAlthough the extraordinary growth of WeChat has successfully become the dominant media by which individuals develop interpersonal network and contact with others, the roles of perceived gratifications between network externalities and user loyalty toward WeChat have not yet been investigated in depth. These obtained outcomes not only enrich the existing literature regarding the relationship between network externalities and affective response, but also offer fresh insights to mobile social media designers, marketers and users.

A Study on the Community Network between LUNG YING-TSUNG and the Arts and Culture Community in Hsinchu

<p>龍瑛宗（1911-1999）為新竹地區戰前知名的客籍日語作家，戰後初期因政權更迭、跨語等因素，輟筆未能繼續創作。但他並未放棄對文學的興趣，仍積極與省籍藝文人士維繫良好的社交網絡。為了重拾創作，龍瑛宗韜光養晦努力學習中文，期待能夠重返戰後臺灣文壇。他因地緣、客籍身分的關係與新竹地區藝文人士吳濁流（新竹縣）、鄭世璠（新竹市）往來密切，本論文將利用相關文獻史料、照片、書信、作品等，重新拼貼他們實際的往來情況，釐清他們如何因職場和媒體報刊雜誌的關係，跨時代、跨國境維繫翰墨之緣和以畫會友，建構這個社會群體的文化記憶，希望藉此勾勒出戰前世代的藝文活動型態與人際網絡。</p> <p> </p><p>LUNG YING-TSUNG (1911-1999) was a well-known Hakka-Japanese writer in Hsinchu before the Second World War. However, in the early postwar period, he ceased writing due to various factors such as the change of government and official language, which hindered his ability to continue his work. Nevertheless, he maintained his interest in literature and maintained strong social connections with Taiwanese artists and writers. LUNG YING-TSUNG kept a low profile, studying Chinese in anticipation of resuming his creative work and rejoining the Taiwanese literary scene after the war.</p> <p> LUNG YING-TSUNG had close tie with literary figures in the Hsinchu area, such as (WU CHO-LIU [Hsinchu County] and CHENG SHIH-FAN [Hsinchu City]), due to his local connections and Hakka background. This paper aims to reconstruct their shared history using relevant documents, historical materials, photographs, letters and work to seek to clarify how they maintained their friendships through calligraphy and painting across generations and borders, particularly in relation to their workplace and media magazines. The gold is to construct a collective cultural memory of this society and shed light on the artistic and cultural activities as well as interpersonal networks of the Japanese-speaking generation before the war.</p> <p> </p>

Perceived Wellbeing, Happiness, and Related Challenges among Indian College Students.

The present study aimed to examine the conceptualisation and determinants of happiness among Indian college students and identify areas in which they require help. The sample consisted of 362 students in the age group of 18 to 30years (Mage = 20.9, SDage = 2.25) from two locations in North and South India. Online forms, including the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson et al. in J Pers Soc Psychol 54:1063-1070, 1998) and a qualitative survey, were used to collect the data. Results indicated that participants from institutions that offered mental health initiatives reported higher well-being than those who did not. Findings from the qualitative survey suggest that most participants conceptualised happiness in terms of needfor satisfaction and well-being. The responses also indicated that leisure activities and time spent with the family determined the participants' happiness. Concerns related to interpersonal relationships made the participants unhappy, and most of them were willing to seek help in this regard. Factors beyond immediate self and interpersonal networks had a limited role in participants' perceived happiness and unhappiness. Study findings could guide the development of customised mental health and well-being promotion initiatives to meet the needs of Indian college students.

Reshaping Social Capital During the Pandemic Crisis: Age Group Differences in Face‐to‐Face Contact Network Structures

This article presents findings about the impact of the first Covid‐related lockdown on the face‐to‐face (FTF) interpersonal contact networks of the Hungarian adult population. Our primary objective is to understand how the size, composition, and quality of such networks have changed. We base our analysis on the contact‐diary method. Our data were collected from two representative surveys of the Hungarian adult population: one in 2015 (N = 372) and one in May 2020 (N = 1001) during the first wave of the Covid‐19 epidemic. No decline in the overall bonding social capital can be detected; however, social isolation has increased. A restructuring has occurred: a considerable increase manifests in the proportion of kin ties, especially children, and a decrease in the importance of non‐kin ties, with a particularly sharp decline in friendships. FTF contacts indicate an increased emotional intensity (except for non‐kin, non‐household members) and an increase in the length of conversations, but there is a decrease in the frequency of meeting alters. The changes wrought different effects on different age groups, with the restrictions most negatively affecting the size of FTF contact networks for respondents aged 60 years or older. Our findings point to the stability and resilience of close family relations, yet the doubling of social isolation as early as May 2020 underlines fears about the pandemic’s potentially detrimental effects on social connectedness. The decline in friendship ties (and most probably in other weak ties) may lead to a reduction not only in the amount and scope of accessible social capital but also to a weakening social integration.

An agency perspective of regional economic resilience during COVID-19: the role of the local state’s place-based leadership in Kunshan, China

AbstractThrough a case study of Kunshan, China, this paper shows how a local state utilised place-based leadership to enhance regional economic resilience under the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. It unpacks how Kunshan effectively mitigated early economic disturbances induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, by two ways of leadership actions, namely, enacting jurisdictional power (that is formal leadership), and mobilising wide official and interpersonal networks (that is network leadership). Four specific local-state-led adaptive resilience processes or strategies are identified: stabilising labour supply, mitigating supply-chain disruptions, alleviating financial strains and reconfiguring market orientations. Through these proactive endeavours, the local state played an enabling role in aligning diverse stakeholders and resources across places, scales and sectors, thereby allaying economic shocks and enhancing regional economic resilience. This study contributes to the resilience literature by developing an agency-centric perspective to understanding regional economic resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Measuring Community Resilience and Its Determinants: Relocated Vulnerable Community in Western China.

With the full implementation of poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR), the restoration and improvement of the comprehensive living standards of relocated households have received increasing attention from policy researchers. The measurement of resilience and its determinants provides new ideas for PAR at the community level. This article proposes a method for examining community resilience in the context of PAR through a survey of 459 relocated households in western China and uses regression analysis to identify the determinants of community resilience. The results showed that the four dimensions of community resilience, in descending order, included: environmental resilience, economic resilience, management resilience, and social resilience. Income level and livelihood diversification were positively correlated with the community resilience index. Relocation time, relocation type, and resettlement mode were all essential determinants of the community resilience of relocated households. Finally, some suggestions were put forward, such as the need to build an interpersonal relationship network, guide pure farmers and non-farmers to transform into diversified livelihood households, and formulate a unified community action plan and interest protection mechanism so as to provide a reference for decision-making among managers to make decisions.

What Are the Recipes of an Entrepreneur's Subjective Well-Being? A Fuzzy-Set Approach for China.

Entrepreneurs face more pressure and challenges than ordinary workers, which has a serious impact on their physical and mental health. Therefore, the research focus has gradually shifted from objective indicators of entrepreneurial performance to exploration of entrepreneurs' subjective well-being. However, previous studies were often limited to a net effect analysis of a single dimension under symmetric thinking in quantitative research. Therefore, this study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze the configuration path of entrepreneurs' physical and mental health at the individual level, social capital at the collective level, and subjective well-being from the perspective of configuration. The sample was of 279 effective entrepreneurs from the 2017 China General Social Survey (CGSS). Four types of entrepreneurs were found to improve their high well-being profiles: optimistic efficiency-driven, trust efficiency-driven, strong psychology-driven, and weak relationship-driven. Research shows that the interaction between physical and mental health and social capital jointly affects the subjective well-being of entrepreneurs. The research findings reinforce the need for attention to the physical and mental health of entrepreneurs, which are conducive to their active participation in social life. Additionally, establishing weak relationship-oriented interpersonal networks and accumulating social resources to further achieve higher subjective well-being is required.

How much does interpersonal guanxi matter to business performance? The mediating role of relationship learning in an emerging market context

PurposeBy adopting learning theory and a guanxi perspective, this study aims to investigate the effects of interpersonal guanxi (interpersonal networks or connections) and relationship learning on companies’ business performance when operating in a large emerging market.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 294 sales managers and salespeople in the Chinese hotel sector, the authors empirically test the authors' arguments through a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach.FindingsThe authors' findings indicate that strong interpersonal guanxi tends to generate more positive business performance. Furthermore, the authors find that relationship learning plays a mediating role in the association between interpersonal guanxi and hotel companies’ business performance in a Chinese context. Finally, the authors empirically explore the moderating effect of inter-firm dependence on the contribution of interpersonal guanxi to relationship learning. Findings demonstrate that this effect varies significantly based on inter-firm dependence, with interpersonal guanxi exhibiting a greater positive impact if such dependence is high.Originality/valueThis study enriches our understanding of interpersonal guanxi and of how companies can enhance the companies' business performance in an emerging market context.

EXPLORING COMMUNICATION DISPARITIES IN LATE OLD AGE THROUGH THE LENS OF COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE THEORY

Abstract Health disparities are driven, in part, by communication disparities. Those who face the greatest health burdens often have the least communication resources to draw on to help them to manage and cope. As part of a multi-year, multi-level community engaged study to understand how to reduce the communication disjuncture between community-based service providers and older adults age 75 and older, we draw on data collected from 1,609 older adults through in-depth interviews (n=20) and a random sample survey (n=989) in one county in Michigan, along with a random digit dial telephone survey (n=600) conducted statewide. Findings point to key channels for disseminating information to hard-to-reach older adults being healthcare professionals and home delivered mail. Despite optimistic reports that technology usage and adoption rates are increasing for older users, findings suggest that old adults continue to face digital exclusion. Challenges with connecting through interpersonal networks are discussed. Limited resources for connecting with others through technology combined with increased social distancing due to the pandemic may exacerbate older adults’ diminishing social networks and dwindling communication resources to draw upon for managing their health in later old age. Understanding how to connect with the hard-to-reach is pressing particularly as connecting via tele-health normalizes. This information may be employed to inform strategies for disseminating information to older adults, including those ages 75 and older who are hardest-to-reach, and likewise, outreach and recruitment by researchers to engage them in studies that aim to reduce health disparities.

Like a Social Breath: Homecare’s Contributions to Social Inclusion and Connectedness of Older Adults

The detrimental effects of social isolation on health and well-being bring forward the need for increasing social inclusion and connectedness for older, homebound adults. Homecare services may be a source of social inclusion, but the inclusive dimensions and mechanisms of care have been less explored. This study aimed to develop more knowledge on how homecare can contribute to social inclusion by exploring older adults’ experiences with care visits as social encounters. The study utilised interviews with older adults from four municipalities in Norway and Denmark from 2018 to 2019 and drew on a combination of social inclusion theories and Goffmanian microinteractionism. Positive accounts of care encounters comprised three overlapping thematic dimensions: 1) bringing social life into the house, 2) creating connections to the outside world and 3) providing opportunities to participate in a broader array of social roles and identities. Despite variations, care visits could encompass social inclusive and connective aspects that enhanced thriving and wellbeing. Care visits increased opportunities for social participation and support of a valued self and comprised bonding, bridging and linking social capital. Care workers could be important interpersonal network resources at home, providing support and social stimulation, engagement and fun. Moreover, they could bridge to the outside society through conversations or by linking to services (e.g. day centres) that increased social participation and bonding with peers outside the house. The inclusive resources embedded in homecare need to be supported and utilised in policy and practice to increase older people’s inclusion.