Friendship Ties Research Articles

Social networks and HIV treatment adherence among people with HIV initiating treatment in rural Uganda and peri-urban South Africa

Timely initiation of and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical for improving HIV outcomes and reducing HIV transmissibility. Social networks, or the social relationships individuals have with each other, have been linked with positive health outcomes, but less is known about the extent to which social network composition and structure are associated with improved ART adherence among people living with HIV (PLWH). We conducted an ego-centric network study among 828 previously ART-naïve PLWH presenting for ART initiation at 11 clinics in Mbarara, Uganda (rural population) and Gugulethu, South Africa (peri-urban population). We collected social network data using name generator and name interpreter questions. ART adherence was monitored over 12 months using wireless monitors (Wisepill). Our primary outcome of interest was ART adherence during the 12-month follow-up period. We used generalized linear models to estimate the associations between network measures and ART adherence. PLWH at the Uganda site (compared with the South Africa site) were less isolated, had larger social networks, and had more social ties providing sufficient social support; they were also more likely to bridge different social groups whereby not all social ties were connected to each other. In Uganda, social isolation was associated with a 5.5 percentage point reduction in ART adherence (95% confidence interval [CI] −9.95 to −1.13; p = 0.014), while having more same gender social ties was associated with higher ART adherence (b = 0.13, 95% CI 0.02–0.25, p = 0.025). In South Africa, there was no association between social isolation and ART adherence, and having more friendship ties (vs. family ties) was associated with lower ART adherence (b = −2.20, 95% CI −3.56 to −0.84; p = 0.002). Identifying and supporting PLWH who are isolated may facilitate optimal adherence, but understanding how networks differentially affect ART adherence by country context is important.

FINDINGS FROM NSHAP: SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, HEALTH INDICATORS, MEDICATION EFFECTS, AND PREDICTING MORTALITY

Abstract The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project’s broad range of both social measures, and objective and self-reported health measures enable detailed analysis of the intersections between these fundamental aspects of older adults’ lives. The papers in this symposium explore various aspects of these topics from different angles. The first explores employment as an important form of social participation, establishing that full-time employment among respondents is associated with better cognitive function, and less ADL and IADL difficulties. The second examines how social isolation affects men and women differently. Social Networks are the focus of the third paper and compare family to friendship ties. Using NSHAP’s unique medication log, Wilder examines sleep disturbances and the prevalence of respondents taking medications with somnolence as an adverse event, demonstrating the need for more research into how this might affect older adults’ health and well-being. Li uses NSHAP data to develop machine learning models to predict 10-year mortality of older adults in the US which perform with better accuracy than logistic regression.

The effect of two facets of physicians’ environmental stress on patients’ compliance with COVID-19 guidelines: moderating roles of two types of ego network

Drawing upon the Conservation of Resources Theory, this study seeks to examine the association between two dimensions of environmental stress experienced by physicians and patients’ adherence to COVID–19 guidelines, within the context of a social network framework. A third—wave longitudinal study was employed to gather 439 valid data points in China. Social network analysis and structural equation model were used to test the conceptual model. The results reveal the pivotal role of physicians’ environmental stress related to their work and family contexts in influencing patients’ adherence to COVID–19 guidelines through the mediation of physicians’ information sharing. The ego networks of physicians, encompassing both advice–seeking and friendship ties, were observed to negatively moderate the relationship between stress and resource depletion. Broadly, our study shows the importance of understanding physicians’ stress caused by the working and family environments, as these factorsnot only impact the psychological well–being of physicians but also significantly affect patients’ compliance with COVID–19 guidelines. In addition, the work offers a framework for understanding the impact of the ego advice–seeking network and the ego friend network.

Strange Bedfellows: Anti-trans Feminists, VOX Supporters and Biologicist Academics

In 2015 and 2016, Professor Esther Mayoko Arjonilla and I wrote two articles that demonstrated the absence of major conflicts between feminist and trans movements in Spain. We explained that since the democratic transition of the 1970s, Spanish feminism had been strongly committed to the sexual and reproductive rights of ‘women’, an inclusive category. This also applied to lesbians, though not without some internal struggles to claim that space (Pineda 2008). We hypothesized that lesbian feminist groups had been the necessary allies for the inclusion of trans women, often based on factors like personal friendship ties, and their leadership in addressing sexual rights (Platero & Arjonilla, 2015). Another key element was the overlap between the two movements in the feminist critique of the pathologization of women, in consonance with critiques of the psychopathologization of trans women.

EKSISTENSI TRADISI BESAOH PADA MASYARAKAT PETANI DI DESA TELAK, KECAMATAN PARITTIGA, KABUPATEN BANGKA BARAT

This study aims to explain the Besaoh tradition carried out by the people of Bangka, especially West Bangka, namely in Telak Village. This research also aims to find out how the community maintains the besaoh tradition in the midst of a community where some have abandoned this tradition. However, the people of Telak Village still apply the Besaoh tradition in land management and harvesting. To analyze the problems of this research, the authors use the theory of Functionalism and Reciprocity by Malinowski. The research method used is a qualitative approach with descriptive qualitative research, and the informant selection technique is a purposive sampling technique with a total of 10 informants. Sources of research data come from primary and secondary data. Primary data was obtained through observation and interviews with farmer actors who still practice besaoh and also traditional leaders as cultural observers in the community. Secondary data obtained through documentation and literature study. The results of the research show that farming communities who still carry out the besaoh tradition are seen through the view of functionalism theory, the besaoh tradition is very beneficial to these farming communities. The system of providing labor assistance when farming takes turns is called the principle of reciprocity or reciprocity. The besaoh tradition in the farming community in Telak Village, West Bangka Regency, still functions as follows: (1). Economic Function; (2). The function of social relations, such as culture which is a necessity in certain events in the community in Telak Village, the besaoh tradition in which the community strengthens friendship ties and strengthens unity and shared values, the nature of sharing and the besaoh tradition which has local wisdom values.

Structure, positions and mechanisms: A case study of two Dutch Salafi-Jihadi networks

Social network analysis can be a powerful tool to better understand the social context of terrorist activities, and it may also offer potential leads for agencies to intervene. Our access to Dutch police information allows us to analyse the relational features of two networks that include actors who planned acts of terrorism and were active in the dissemination of a Salafi-Jihadi interpretation of Islam ( n = 57; n = 26). Based on a mixed-method approach that combines qualitative and more formal statistical analysis (exponential random graph models), we analyse the structural characteristics of these networks, individual positions and the extent to which radical leaders, pre-existing family and friendship ties and radicalizing settings affect actors to form ties. We find that both networks resemble a core–periphery structure, with cores formed by a densely interconnected group of actors who frequently meet in radicalizing settings. Based on our findings, we discuss the potential effects of preventive and repressive measures developed within the Dutch counterterrorism framework.

Building Trust and Honouring Agreements in the Supply of Protected Wildlife Products

Abstract This paper draws on interview data and published court judgment reports to reveal first-hand accounts of illegal transactions involving protected wildlife and how criminals collaborate with one another. This research finds that wildlife supply is controlled by a small number of key suppliers. Further, trust is embedded in the criminals’ relationship based on kinship and friendship ties, while individuals’ ethnicity and reputation also facilitate collaboration. These arrangements shape the criminal networks that exploit protected wildlife. This paper suggests further research into online trading of protected wildlife products, the presence of women in the illegal wildlife trade and the impact of COVID-19 on the criminal networks supplying wildlife.

Depression among older adults in an urban slum of Raipur city – a community based cross-sectional study

BackgroundOlder adults are at risk of chronic, silent depressive changes and the vulnerability of older adults in urban slums of India is rarely exposed. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depression among the older adults in the urban slums of India and to study the factors associated with it.MethodsThis was a community based analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Urban Field Practice Area of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Chhattisgarh, India among older adults more than or equal to 60 years of age selected using two stage, simple random sampling. The data was collected in a sample of 400 older adults by face-to-face interview using self-designed, semi-structured and pretested proforma that included validated Hindi version of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and analyzed using SPSS v23.ResultsThe prevalence of depression among older adults was 51.5% in the present study; with 27%, 12.8% and 11.8% having mild, moderate and severe depression respectively. Number of family members, living status of spouse, emotional attachment to family members, conflict in family, loneliness, social isolation, marginal friendship ties, functional status, physical exercise, active complains and diastolic BP were independent predictors of depression in older adults.ConclusionEarly identification of depression in older adults using GDS-15 and incorporation of social isolation and functionality assessment routinely by healthcare providers for all older adults attending the outpatient departments is the need of the hour. A holistic approach to care of older adults is vital as healthcare providers seek to understand the impact of multiple, complex, interconnected factors on overall health and well-being of older adults.

Together in a Small Boat: Slavery's Fugitives in the Lesser Antilles

Abstract: Histories of maritime marronage in the Lesser Antilles—the Danish, Dutch, English, French, and Swedish islands in the eastern Caribbean—have often centered on young enslaved men escaping alone aboard intercontinental vessels anchored in the region's port towns. Scholars have paid less attention to the enslaved men, women, and children who escaped their enslavers on one of the many small open boats that were decisive for sustaining life in the region. The ubiquity of small-boat infrastructure in the Lesser Antilles, the complex legal regime put in place to regulate it, and the affordances—that is, the possibilities of action—provided by small watercraft demonstrate the importance of small-boat flight to slavery's fugitives in the Lesser Antilles. Enslaved people—rural and urban, young and old—knew that they had to collaborate to realize the fugitive force of canoes and other small boats scattered along island shorelines. Indeed, maritime marronage was more often carried out in groups than alone. Through time and political turbulence, the small boat allowed enslaved people to pursue dreams of freedom that had an archipelagic character: proximity facilitated knowledge of conditions on nearby islands and sustained or reestablished friendship and family ties.

Psychosocial risk factors and cognitive decline in people living with HIV: results from the Malaysian HIV and aging (MHIVA) study

ABSTRACT HIV-associated mortality has improved with the advent of antiretroviral therapy, yet neurocognitive decline persists. We assessed the association between psychosocial risk factors and cognitive function among Malaysian PLWH. Data of virally suppressed PLWH (n = 331) on stable ART, from the Malaysian HIV and Aging study was assessed. Psychosocial factors were assessed using the Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (social isolation) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) with normative standards for the Malaysian population was used to determine cognitive function. Linear and logistic regression were used to assess the associations between cognition, and psychosocial risk factors. Median age of participants was 43.8 years (IQR 37.7–51.0). Participants were predominantly male (82.8%), with secondary education or higher (85.2%). Participants were on ART for 5.7 years (IQR 3.0–9.7), with a mean MoCA score of 24.6 (±3.7). Social isolation was found in 34.6% of participants, and severe depression, severe stress, and severe anxiety in 10.6%, 15.4%, and 6.0% respectively. After adjusting for demographic, clinical, and HIV parameters, MoCA scores were significantly associated with severe stress (β = −0.11, p = 0.02) and having marginal friendship ties (β = −0.13, p = 0.03). Social isolation and severe stress are associated with neurocognitive impairment in PLWH.

Social Support, Victimization, and Stress in a Women’s Prison: The Role of in-Prison Friendship for Reducing Perceptions of Stress

Drawing on social integration and support literature, this study evaluates whether having in-prison friendships reduces incarcerated women’s perceptions of stress and buffers the additional stress associated with violent prison victimization. Using network and survey data from a sample of 104 incarcerated women in a Pennsylvanian prison unit, results indicate that experiencing violent victimization in prison substantially increases incarcerated women’s perceptions of stress while having greater in-prison friendship ties is associated with lower perceptions of prison stress. In addition, larger in-prison friendship networks substantially reduce the stress associated with women’s in-prison victimization, making friendships a vital resource for victimized women.

‘Once you bond … you want to create social change’: Interpersonal relationships in youth activism

AbstractThis paper calls for greater attention to the interpersonal aspects of youth activism through a sociological and Black feminist exploration of peer relationships within youth political engagement. Drawing on a multi‐method qualitative research, the work foregrounds the perspectives and experiences of Black girls and girls of colour involved in an anti‐racist Scottish youth work charity. I argue that community and friendship ties cultivated participants' activism. Moreover, participants sought to enact social change by undertaking activist educational practices with their peers. This paper demonstrates how studying young people's peer relationships can engender a better understanding of youth activism and support it.

NILAI-NILAI PENDIDIKAN ISLAM DALAM KEGIATAN SHALAWATAN GROUP "CINTA RASUL" DI DUSUN LUMBANG PENYENGAT

Shalawat reading is done as a form of love and longing for the prophet Muhammad SAW. By reading shalawat, it is hoped that the prophet will intercede on the last day. In shalawat there are poems that are very meaningful and have educational value. Shalawatan activities will usually be led by a prayer group and witnessed by the public, thus indirectly inviting the community to read prayers together. Lumbang Penyengat Hamlet has a prayer group with the name Cita Rasul. With the Cinta Rasul prayer group, it is hoped that it can invite the people of Lumbang Penyengat Hamlet to always pray as a form of love and longing for Rasulullah SAW. The value of aqidah education means believing, believing and as a soul force that can control and bind the human heart. Always pray, try to take care of the heart, and improve self-quality. Because not only chanting sholawat to the Prophet Muhammad SAW, the community also learns the law of recitation, and inserts fiqh knowledge before the prayer begins. Sholawat activities also have moral education value. Moral education is the soul of Islamic education and to achieve a good and perfect character is the goal of education. The third is Social education Humans are social creatures, creatures who cannot live alone, creatures who always need the help of others. This prayer activity also builds ties of friendship, mutual responsibility, care for each other, protect each other, help fellow members. education

Ukrainian refugees struggling to integrate into Czech school social networks

We provide a brief insight into the integration of Ukrainian refugees in school social networks in the Czech Republic following the mass migration caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our sample contains twelve classrooms with a total of 266 students in grades 5 to 9; 21.05% of the students were of Ukrainian origin. We employed multiplex exponential random graph modelling to assess the level to which Ukrainian refugees were integrated within peer networks, capturing both friendship and exclusion ties. We then employed a meta-analytical procedure to aggregate the results from the individual classrooms and a meta-regression to study the relationship between classroom ethnic composition and the level of integration of Ukrainian refugees. We found social networks to be formed heavily along ethnic lines with strong ethnic homophily in friendship ties and a propensity of the Ukrainian students to both send and receive fewer friendship ties than their Czech classmates. We found no evidence that the Ukrainian students sent or received more exclusion ties than their Czech classmates, suggesting that the Ukrainian students did not face explicit rejection from classmates; rather, we saw a tendency of the Ukrainian students to be neglected. Our findings stand in contrast to reports from school headmasters who asserted that the social integration of Ukrainian students was seamless. We further found a higher proportion of Ukrainian students in classrooms to be related to stronger homophilic behaviour and a lower tendency of Ukrainian students to make friends. Our results therefore imply that increased classroom diversity may negatively influence the integration of refugees in social networks.

Tri Wulan Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama Recitation's Cultural Values in East Oku Regency

<em>This article The NU Muslimat Quarterly Recitation in East OKU Regency is a routine activity that is carried out every three months by NU Muslimat administrators from the branch level to the sub-branch level in the region. This activity was held with the aim of strengthening ties of friendship between NU Muslimat administrators, branch children, and village communities with various tribes in East OKU. First held in 2004, this quarterly recitation was held after going through several stages of deliberation to determine the place, time of activity, speakers, implementing committee, and funding. Apart from being an event to strengthen friendship ties, this quarterly recitation activity can also become a science major that is beneficial to students and pilgrims. In this study, participants can add religious knowledge, be more obedient to Allah, and gain religious insight. Quarterly recitation is also able to create positive socio-cultural values. The use of Muslim batik uniforms by all NU Muslim members in this activity can create a sense of oneness among them. Even the local community seemed enthusiastic about this activity, with the appearance of impromptu sellers who sold various goods to the recitation congregation. This activity is beneficial not only for NU Muslimat administrators and congregations but also for the general public who take part in it</em>.

Senin Bersinar Tasmi’ Al-Qur’an Program (Living Al-Qur’an Study at MAN 2 Sleman, Yogyakarta)

The living Al-Qur’an study examines various social events related to the existence of Al-Qur’an in society. At MAN 2 Sleman, there is a living Al-Qur’an study in the form of the Senin Bersinar Tasmi’ Al-Qur’an program. Purpose – This study aims to find meanings of practice Senin Bersinar Tasmi’ Al-Qur’an program with find out the “because motive” and “in order to motive” of Senin Bersinar Tasmi’ Al-Qur’an program for academic community of MAN 2 Sleman. Design/methods/approach – This research is a qualitative research with a field research pattern, descriptive and phenomenological approach. Data collection techniques using literature studies, observation, interviews, and documentation. Respondents consisted of 40 students and 10 teachers. The data is then analyzed through an interactive process and tested for validity by data triangulation. Findings – (1) “Because motive” of this program is awareness of obeying religious obligations and running school programs, low Al-Qur’an literacy skills, low interest in reading and memorizing Al-Qur’an, poor quality of memorization, and lack of supporting factors in learning to read and memorize Al-Qur’an, (2) “to order to motive” of this program is to become a momentum and a means to get closer to Allah Swt., get blessings, raise motivation to read and memorize Al-Quran, improve the quality of memorization, increase intelligence and discipline, training courage and strengthen ties of friendship. Originality/value – Living Al-Qur’an with the tasmi’ method for the academic community of MAN 2 Sleman needs to be improved and developed to increase abilities and motivation in getting closer to Allah Swt.

The symbolic meaning of the Akkatere tradition for the indigenous people of the Kajang community

This research aims to describe the empirical reality surrounding the implementation of unique traditions. Unique because Akkatere (cutting hair) is claimed as a ritual activity that is aligned with the implementation of the pilgrimage. All individuals or families who have performed Akkatere are considered to have performed the pilgrimage. This research is qualitative with a phenomenological approach. Data sources include village heads, traditional leaders, and community leaders who understand this tradition. Methods of data collection include observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques are carried out through data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of the study show that the Akkattere tradition is carried out by individuals who are economically capable, of traditional descent, and still obedient to the tide. The implementation process begins with apparungrungi and ends with the distribution of dallekang. The meaning of the Akkattere tradition includes; rituals of worshiping God, respecting ancestors, respecting customs, strengthening ties of friendship, and giving alms.

HILAH SYAR’IYYAH MEMBAGI HARTA WARISAN SEBELUM MENINGGAL DUNIA

Inheritance is sometimes a problem that is not easy. Even though the division is actually very easy because the terms are clear. Many people then do the distribution of inheritance before death because they are worried that if the distribution of inheritance after death, the heirs will be in disagreement, and it is not uncommon to result in the breaking of friendship ties between them. Researchers want to analyze related to the theory of hiyal or hilah which is used in hilah syar'iyyah to divide inheritance before death. This study uses a qualitative method approach, with the primary source being books about hilah, while the secondary sources are books and books that help to analyze the problems in this research. In fact, the implementation of inheritance distribution is also related to the practice of hilah. In several areas in South Kalimantan, for example, it was found that some wealthy people distributed inheritance when they were still alive, known as living inheritance. There are several legal views regarding hilah in dividing inheritance before death

Student Attitudes Towards Distance Learning at a Large Urban Public College

Student attitudes towards distance learning can affect both the acquisition of knowledge and the motivation to learn. This study explores student attitudes towards the following four topics: (1) technological and environmental impediments towards distance learning, (2) asynchronous vs. synchronous course preferences, (3) online vs. in-person course preferences, and (4) attitudes towards taking online courses in the future. The findings of the study are based on two anonymous online surveys conducted in the spring and fall of 2020 among students at a large urban public college located in the Northeast U.S. The study reveals that a significant number of students have unreliable Internet and live in homes not conducive for online learning. By a narrow margin, students prefer an asynchronous to a synchronous approach to online learning. Along several dimensions covering different facets of the classroom experience, students prefer in-person courses to online courses. The disparities favoring in-person classes are most noticeable with respect to the ability to concentrate in class sessions, feeling motivated to learn, and developing friendship ties with classmates. Distinctive profiles exist among students who opt for these different teaching modalities. Those students who are more positively disposed towards in-person classes tend to be younger, freshmen or sophomores, those experiencing higher stress levels, and those whose physical arrangements at home are not conducive for learning. Importantly, though, a majority of students say they were inclined towards taking more online course in the future.

Remembering Herbert Gutman's Work, Culture, and Society Fifty Years On

Remembering Herbert Gutman's <i>Work, Culture, and Society</i> Fifty Years On