Social Network Indicators Research Articles

The role of social connection in opioid use disorder treatment engagement.

Medications for opioid use disorder (OUD or MOUD) treatment combining pharmacotherapy with psychosocial support are effective for managing OUD. However, treatment engagement remains a challenge, with retention rates ∼30%-50%. Although social connection has been identified as important to recovery, it remains unclear whether and how social factors can bolster participation in treatment. Individuals receiving MOUD at three outpatient treatment programs (N = 82) and healthy community controls (N = 62) completed validated measures assessing social connection including (a) size, diversity, and embeddedness of social networks; (b) perceived social support and criticism within familial relationships; and (c) subjective social status. For those receiving MOUD, we also examined how aspects of social connection related to opioid (re)use and treatment engagement (medication adherence, group, and individual meeting attendance) assessed over ∼8 weeks/person. Compared to controls, individuals receiving MOUD had smaller and less diverse and embedded social networks (Cohen's d > 0.4), and despite similar levels of perceived social support (d = 0.02), reported higher levels of social criticism (d = 0.6) and lower subjective social status (d = 0.5). Within the MOUD group, higher social network indices correlated specifically with higher therapeutic group attendance (Rs > 0.30), but not medication adherence, while higher levels of perceived criticism correlated with more frequent opioid use (R = 0.23). Results were mostly robust to control for sociodemographic variables, psychological distress/COVID-19, and treatment duration, but differed by MOUD type/program. These findings highlight the potential importance of assessing an individual's social capital, promoting positive social connection, and continuing to assess the implementation and value of psychosocial support in MOUD treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Neighbors Matter: An Investigation into Intergroup Interactions Affecting the Social Networks of Adjacent Chimpanzee Groups

Wild chimpanzees live in large and complex social communities, but their complexity is determined by the number of potential social partners as well as the frequent changes in group composition due to fission–fusion dynamics. Alternatively, captive housed chimpanzee groups are usually much smaller and less complex. However, studies have shown that groups can be housed in adjacent habitats, potentially increasing the number of social partners, i.e., granting additional relationship opportunities and enhanced social complexity. While most social network studies analyze social groups as closed systems, this study assessed the impact of social interactions between two neighboring groups of chimpanzees, based on two social network indices (Vertex strength centrality and Deviation from edge weight disparity). Furthermore, Linear Mixed Models (LMMs) were employed to assess whether gender, age, and intra-/intergroup directionality influenced these indices. We recorded occurrences of social behaviors, social proximity and whether chimpanzees observed individuals in the other group as a measure of interest. Most social behaviors were directed towards group members; however, 13% were directed towards the neighboring group. Although enclosure barriers constrained the chimpanzee’s capacity to physically interact, it does not necessarily impede social interactions with the outside world. Hence, the presence of neighboring chimpanzees potentially provides additional relationship opportunities, increasing social stimulation and complexity leading to an enriching social environment.

Measuring social presence in online-based learning: An exploratory path analysis using log data and social network analysis

Social presence is a key element in collaborative/cooperative learning. In online learning environments, it is challenging to measure the current state of social presence. This work aims to identify measures of social presence.We manually coded 3546 students' postings (n = 49 students). We selected measures from social network analysis and indices derived from log data as potential indicators. We conducted an exploratory path analysis to define which indicators appropriately describe social presence.The size of the individual egocentric student's network (path coefficient = −0.56**) and constraint (path coefficient = −0.51**), as well as the number of forums in which students were active (path coefficient = 0.49**) and the number of solved learning activities (path coefficient = −0.59**) were indicators of the level of social presence.We were able to identify four indicators for social presence in online-based courses readily available within routine data from learning management systems. We will focus now on how social presence in an ongoing course develops.

Exploring social networks relative to various types of exercise self-efficacy within CrossFit participants

ABSTRACT According to Self-Efficacy Theory (SET; Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215), social networks and support are important in developing beneficial levels of self-efficacy. However, empirical evidence of the relationship between social networks and self-efficacy is lacking, especially concerning exercise self-efficacy. Using SET and Social Network Analysis, this study examines factors related to six aspects of exercise self-efficacy among CrossFit participants, with a particular focus on social networks and support. Members from two CrossFit gyms (N=127; 35.55 ± 12.89 years, 66.9% female) completed surveys assessing various aspects of exercise self-efficacy by indicating their confidence in completing activities that require 1) effort, 2) resistance, 3) agility, 4) coordination, 5) balance, and 6) strength. Participants also reported their mastery of CrossFit exercises, social connections within CrossFit, sense of community, and emotions elicited through exercise. Linear network autocorrelation models revealed a person’s position within their social network (e.g., degree, closeness) and the self-efficacy scores of their social contacts were associated with participants’ effort self-efficacy (Gym 1: R2 =0.26, p<.001; Gym 2: R2 =0.82, p<.001), agility self-efficacy (Gym 1: R2 =0.43, p<.001; Gym 2: R2 =0.63, p<.001), and strength self-efficacy (Gym 1: R2 =0.45, p<.001; Gym 2: R2 =0.84, p<.001). This study supports the SET and a growing body of literature documenting the relationship between social networks and self-efficacy and suggests social network indices and effects are important in explaining aspects of exercise self-efficacy in these CrossFit networks.

Data from the Human Penguin Project, a cross-national dataset testing social thermoregulation principles

In the Human Penguin Project (N = 1755), 15 research groups from 12 countries collected body temperature, demographic variables, social network indices, seven widely-used psychological scales and two newly developed questionnaires (the Social Thermoregulation and Risk Avoidance Questionnaire (STRAQ-1) and the Kama Muta Frequency Scale (KAMF)). They were collected to investigate the relationship between environmental factors (e.g., geographical, climate etc.) and human behaviors, which is a long-standing inquiry in the scientific community. More specifically, the present project was designed to test principles surrounding the idea of social thermoregulation, which posits that social networks help people to regulate their core body temperature. The results showed that all scales in the current project have sufficient to good psychometrical properties. Unlike previous crowdsourced projects, this dataset includes not only the cleaned raw data but also all the validation of questionnaires in 9 different languages, thus providing a valuable resource for psychological scientists who are interested in cross-national, environment-human interaction studies.

Broken bridges: a social network perspective on urban high school leadership

PurposeSecondary school leadership provides multiple challenges in terms of the diversity of tasks, multiple demands on time, balancing communities and attending to instructional programming. An emerging scholarship suggests the importance of a distributed instructional leadership approach to high school leadership. However, what has been less thoroughly explored is how secondary school leadership is distributed leaders across a school district. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the social structure and positions urban high school principals occupy in the district system.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted in one urban fringe public school district in southern California serving diverse students populations. The data were collected at three time points starting in Fall 2012 and ending in Fall 2014 from a district-wide leadership team including all central office and site leaders. All leaders were asked to assess their social relations and perception of innovative climate. The data were analyzed through a series of social network indices to examine the structure and positions of high school principals.FindingsResults indicate that over time high school principals have decreasing access to social capital and are typically occupying peripheral positions in the social network. The high school principals’ perception of innovative climate across the district decreases over time.Originality/valueThis longitudinal study, one of the first to examine high school principals from a network perspective, sheds new light on the social infrastructure of urban high school principals and what this might mean for efforts at improvement.

Where should we meet? Mapping social network interactions of sleepy lizards shows sex-dependent social network structure

Social network analyses allow researchers to describe patterns of social interactions and their consequences in animal societies. Since direct observations in natural settings are often difficult, researchers often use tracking technologies to build proximity-based social networks. However, because both social behaviour (e.g. conspecific attraction) and environmental heterogeneity (e.g. resources attracting individuals independently) affect rates of interaction, identifying the processes that shape social networks is challenging. We tracked sleepy lizards, Tiliqua rugosa, using global positioning system (GPS) telemetry to investigate whether they show conspecific attraction or avoidance beyond any shared space use driven by environmental heterogeneity. Since these lizards have strong pair bonds and nonoverlapping core home ranges, we predicted different interaction rates between inter- and intrasex dyads and compared social network indices among dyad types (male–male, female–female and intersex) using node-identity permutation tests. We also mapped interactions onto the home ranges (using distance from the centre as an index) and contrasted observed social networks with those expected from a spatially explicit null model. We found that dyad types differed in their interaction patterns. Intersex dyads had stronger connections (higher edge weight) than a null expectation, and stronger than for same-sex dyads. Same-sex dyads did not differ in edge weight from the null expectation, but were significantly more common (higher degree). Males had larger home ranges than females and consequently male–male dyads interacted further away from their home range centres. Moreover, the locations of these interactions also differed from the null expectations more strongly than other dyad types. Hence, we conclude that males predominantly interacted with each other at the peripheries of their home range, presumably reflecting territorial behaviour. By applying a novel analysis technique, we accounted for the nonsocial component of space use and revealed sex-specific interaction patterns and the contribution of conspecific attraction to the social structure in this species. More generally we report how mapping the locations of nonrandom interaction rates provides broad information on the behaviours they represent.

Social network indices in the Generations and Gender Survey

Background: In this contribution we critically appraise the social network indices in the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS). Objective: After discussing the rationale for including social network indices in the GGS, we provide descriptive information on social network characteristics and an overview of substantive questions that have been addressed using GGS social network data: antecedents and consequences of demographic behaviour, care, and differences in well-being. We identify topics that have received relatively little attention in GGS research so far, despite the availability of novel and appropriate social network data. We end with a discussion of what is unique about the social network indices in the GGS. Methods: The descriptive information on social network characteristics is based on empirical analyses of GGS data, and an experimental pilot study. The overview of GGS research using social network indices is based on a library search. The identification of what is unique about the social network indices in the GGS is based on a comparison with the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE), and the International Social Survey Program (ISSP). Results: Results show a high representation of family members in the social networks, and confirm the adequacy of using a cap of five names for network-generating questions. GGS research using the social network indices has largely focused on determinants of fertility behaviour, intergenerational linkages in families, and downward care transfers. Conclusions: Topics that have received relatively little attention are demographic behaviours other than those related to parenthood, upward transfers of practical support, ties with siblings, and stepfamily ties. Social network indices in the GGS show a high degree of overlap with those in other international surveys. The unique features are the inventory of family ties ever born and still living, and the assessment of network members’ normative expectations. The GGS holds a wealth of social network data that warrants a myriad of future investigations.

Inter-annual patterns of aggression and pair bonding in captive American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber).

Because zoos typically house animals for extended periods of time, longitudinal studies can play an important role in evaluating and optimizing animal care and management. For example, information on patterns of aggression and mating behavior across years can be used to monitor well-being, assess response to changes to group composition, and promote successful reproduction. Here, we report on patterns of aggression and pair bonding by American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at the Audubon Zoo, New Orleans USA across 4 years (2012-2015), a period that included a simultaneous introduction and removal of individuals in 2014. At the population level, overall rates and social network indices of aggressive interactions were relatively stable over the study period, without a strong signal of the 2014 replacement event. At the individual level, flamingos exhibited a high degree of within-individual consistency in levels of aggression initiated (W = 0.530, P < 0.001), and received (W = 0.369, P = 0.042). In terms of pair bonds, females re-paired with the same individuals across years more frequently (between 58% and 100% from year to year) than they switched mates, and no bonds were established between pre-existing and introduced individuals. These findings indicate a high degree of stability in aggression and pair bonding behavior in this population of captive flamingos, at both the population and individual level. Longitudinal studies such as this one provide an opportunity to better our understanding of flamingos and other long-lived, group-living animals along with their management needs, especially in terms of maintaining social cohesion in captivity and improving captive breeding programs.

Leveraging Social Networks to Develop Radically New Products

In this article, the authors consider the nexus of social networks and radically new products. These new products are so innovative that they forge new product categories, and social networks might be particularly fruitful in their development, dissemination, and help to foster growth and acceptance. Several social networks concepts are brought to bear on these issues, from the class diffusion model, to current considerations of lead users and emerging ideas about crowdsourcing. In particular, the classic diffusion model provides parameters to reflect innovative consumer behavior, and it is suggested that, in complement to studies that seek customer traits to identify innovators, social network concepts and indices of degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality are very well suited in identifying customers embedded in social networks whose relational ties are indicative of their likely influence and stature. Next, lead users are considered in the specific context of health care, and it is suggested that online forums provide numerous benefits to customer patients as well as opportunities to health‐care providers. Next, the dynamics of social networks are considered as they apply to cutting‐edge ideas about crowdsourcing, movements that companies are exploring to be radically open to customer feedback and suggestions. This article closes with an example of a novel appeal that bridges social networks and radically new products—the challenge of solving societal difficulties, from food scarcity, to environmental pollutants, to weather patterns, to discovering treatments for cancer or other medical conditions.

The creative link: Investigating the relationship between social network indices, creative performance and flow in blended teams

We present findings of an exploratory study, which investigated the relationship among the indices of social network structure, flow, and creative performance in students collaborating in a blended setting. Thirty undergraduate students enrolled in a Media Psychology course were assigned to five groups tasked with designing a new technology-based psychological application. Team members collaborated over a twelve-week period using two main modalities: face-to-face meeting sessions in the classroom (once a week) and virtual meetings using a groupware tool. Social network indicators of group interaction and presence indices were extracted from communication logs, whereas flow and product creativity were assessed through survey measures. The findings showed that specific social network indices (in particular those measuring decentralization and neighbor interaction) were positively related to flow experience. More broadly, the results indicated that selected social network indicators could offer useful insight into the creative collaboration process. Theoretical and methodological implications of these results are drawn.

Communication, Opponents, and Clan Performance in Online Games: A Social Network Approach

Online gamers form clans voluntarily to play together and to discuss their real and virtual lives. Although these clans have diverse goals, they seek to increase their rank in the game community by winning more battles. Communications among clan members and battles with other clans may influence the performance of a clan. In this study, we compared the effects of communication structure inside a clan, and battle networks among clans, with the performance of the clans. We collected battle histories, posts, and comments on clan pages from a Korean online game, and measured social network indices for communication and battle networks. Communication structures in terms of density and group degree centralization index had no significant association with clan performance. However, the centrality of clans in the battle network was positively related to the performance of the clan. If a clan had many battle opponents, the performance of the clan improved.

Individual and social network predictors of the short‐term stability of bullying victimization in the United Kingdom and Germany

There is still relatively little research on the social context within which bullying develops and remains stable. This study examined the short-term stability of bullying victimization among primary school students in the United Kingdom and Germany (mean age, 8.9 years) and the individual and social network factors that contributed to remaining a victim of bullying. The sample consisted of 454 children (247 males and 207 females). Participants completed questionnaires on bullying victimization at three assessment points over a 9-week period. Other measures consisted of self-reported demographic, peer, and family relationship characteristics. Social network indices of density, reciprocity, and hierarchy were constructed using friendship and peer acceptance nominations. Relative risk analyses indicated a six-fold increased risk of remaining a victim at consequent follow-ups, compared to a child not victimized at baseline becoming a victim over the follow-up period. Individual characteristics explained substantially more variance in the stability of bullying victimization than class-level factors. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses revealed that being victimized by siblings and being rejected by peers predicted remaining a victim over a 9-week period. Bullying victimization among primary school students proved moderately stable over a 9-week period. Individual characteristics were more influential in predicting the stable victim role than class-level factors. Our findings have implications for the identification of stable victims in primary school and early preventative bullying programs.

Social Networks and Their Relationship to Mental Health Service Use and Expenditures Among Medicaid Beneficiaries

Social Networks and Their Relationship to Mental Health Service Use and Expenditures Among Medicaid Beneficiaries

The Impacts of Social Networks and Household Forest Conservation Efforts in Rural Nepal

This paper investigates links between the strength and type of social networks and private forest conservation activity in rural Nepal. Using Nepal household survey data, this paper tests the effects of alternative social network indices on the number of trees planted on private land. Our findings show that social networks can have positive spillovers effects. However, this generalization requires careful qualification about the type of social network involved. While there has been considerable discussion about building and enhancing social networks, the policy implication is that not all networks are created equal when it comes to enhancing critical conservation activities.

Differences between school classes in preschoolers' psychosocial adjustment: evidence for the importance of children's interpersonal relations.

We examined differences between school classes with respect to three aspects of psychosocial adjustment at school, namely the extent that children in the class liked to play with each other, the number of teacher-reported behaviour problems, and children's feelings of wellbeing at school. The sample consisted of 1282 4- to 5-year-olds from 94 school classes and 51 schools, but due to nonresponse actual sample sizes were somewhat smaller for most analyses. Multilevel analyses showed that on average 87% of the variance was at the child level, 11% at the class level, and 3% at the school level. This indicated that a non-negligible amount of variance could not be accounted for by factors at the child level. Furthermore, this variance was mainly associated with differences between classes instead of differences between schools. A set of variables that pertained to sociodemographic characteristics of schools, school facilities, organisational aspects of classrooms, and the teacher did not provide an adequate explanation for the differences in adjustment levels. In contrast to these traditional variables, social network indices yielded substantial correlations, showed consistent trends across the different adjustment measures, and fulfilled the necessary requirement that to explain differences between school classes the predictor variables themselves should differ for classes within the same school. These results suggested that aspects of the interpersonal relations of children in the classroom such as proximity, integration, and the amount of contact could be determinants of differences between school classes in psychosocial adjustment.

Differences between School Classes in Preschoolers' Psychosocial Adjustment: Evidence for the Importance of Children's Interpersonal Relations

We examined differences between school classes with respect to three aspects of psychosocial adjustment at school, namely the extent that children in the class liked to play with each other, the number of teacher‐reported behaviour problems, and children's feelings of well‐being at school. The sample consisted of 1282 4‐ to 5‐year‐olds from 94 school classes and 51 schools, but due to nonresponse actual sample sizes were somewhat smaller for most analyses. Multilevel analyses showed that on average 87% of the variance was at the child level, 11% at the class level, and 3% at the school level. This indicated that a non‐negligible amount of variance could not be accounted for by factors at the child level. Furthermore, this variance was mainly associated with differences between classes instead of differences between schools. A set of variables that pertained to sociodemographic characteristics of schools, school facilities, organisational aspects of classrooms, and the teacher did not provide an adequate explanation for the differences in adjustment levels. In contrast to these traditional variables, social network indices yielded substantial correlations, showed consistent trends across the different adjustment measures, and fulfilled the necessary requirement that to explain differences between school classes the predictor variables themselves should differ for classes within the same school. These results suggested that aspects of the interpersonal relations of children in the classroom such as proximity, integration, and the amount of contact could be determinants of differences between school classes in psychosocial adjustment.

Social network, social support and the prevalence of neck and low back pain after retirement. A population study of men born in 1914 in Malmö, Sweden.

In this study we investigated the importance of social network and social support systems outside the workplace and workload and psychological job strain in former work for the prevalence of daily neck and low back pain. The study population (n = 621) comprised a random half of all male residents in Malmö, Sweden, born in 1914, of whom 500 (80.5%) participated. Two of the social network and social support indices (social anchorage and availability of material and informational support) were independent of life-style factors (leisure time physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption) related to daily neck and back pain after retirement (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.4 and OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.0-2.7, respectively), while the psycho-social and physical factors in former work were not. As no conclusion about the direction of the association can be drawn, prospective studies are needed to further explore these findings.

Social network, social support and heavy drinking in elderly men--a population study of men born in 1914, Malmö, Sweden.

We analysed whether there were associations among different aspects of social network and social support, on one hand, and heavy drinking and alcohol problems on the other. The study sample (n = 621) comprised a random half of all male residents born in 1914 in Malmö, Sweden. Five hundred (80.5%) participated. Heavy drinking was defined as an alcohol consumption above 250 g alcohol per week and alcohol problems were assessed by a modified Michigan Alcoholism Screening test. Eight conceptually differential aspects of social networks and social support were measured. Four of five social network indices (social anchorage, social participation, contact frequency, spousal support) were associated with heavy drinking (OR 1.9-2.5) and two social network indices (social anchorage, spousal support) were associated with alcohol problems (OR 2.1-2.3). The results in this study are independent of social class, but based on a cross-sectional study, so we do not know if heavy drinking has caused social isolation or the contrary. If these results can be verified in a prospective study, a strengthening of the social network of the individual could perhaps lead to more moderate alcohol habits and better health, a finding of potential importance in the field of health promotion.

Predictors of Mortality among Elderly African-Americans

Older African-Americans face many barriers that impede access to formal support services. Therefore, informal social networks may be the only source of support for many elderly African-Americans. This study looked at three measures of informal social networks: contacts with family members, contacts with friends, and social involvement outside the home. Data were from the 1984-1988 Longitudinal Survey of Aging. Bivariate associations with lower mortality occurred for all three social network indices. When controlling for sociodemographic, physical health variables, and self-rated health in logistic regression, church attendance retained significance. Men appeared to be at high risk when social network was limited. Other significant factors were: cancer, activities of daily living, sex-specific body mass, and self-rated health.