Social networks, social support, and life expectancy in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study

BACKGROUND

Social support and social networks have long been postulated to impact health outcomes but their impact on life expectancy and disability in older adults remains poorly quantified.

METHODS

As part of the Cardiovascular Health Study, we followed 5,749 adults aged 65 years and older from 4 US field centers for 25 years. We assessed the Lubben social network score [range 0-50] and a social support score [range 0-24] derived from the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL-12) in two consecutive years starting at study recruitment. We used remaining years of life (YOL) from study enrollment to death to approximate life expectancy. We defined years of active life (YAL) as the number of study years in which participants lived without any difficulties in activities of daily living. We used compression of disability to reflect the proportion of life lived able (YAL/YOL). We used linear regression to adjust for socio-demographics and comorbidity.

RESULTS

The mean (standard deviation [SD]) scores were 32.3 ± 6.8 points for social network score and 8.3 ± 2.4 points for social support score. For every 1-SD increase in social network score, adjusted participant life expectancy was 0.40 years higher (95% CI 0.22-0.58; p<0.0001) and disability-free life expectancy 0.35 years higher (95% CI 0.18-0.53; p<0.0001). The association with life expectancy was modified by participant age (p<0.001), but it remained significant even among participants aged ≥75 years (3 months per SD; 95% CI 0.1-6 months, p = 0.04). Further adjustment for frailty did not attenuate the estimates. The social support scale was not significantly associated with YOL or YAL after adjustment for social network score, and neither measure was associated with compression of disability.

DISCUSSION

In older adults, higher social network scores are significantly associated with longer life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy.

Identifying Influential Nodes in Social Networks: Exploiting Self-Voting Mechanism

The influence maximization (IM) problem is defined as identifying a group of influential nodes in a network such that these nodes can affect as many nodes as possible. Due to its great significance in viral marketing, disease control, social recommendation, and so on, considerable efforts have been devoted to the development of methods to solve the IM problem. In the literature, VoteRank and its improved algorithms have been proposed to select influential nodes based on voting approaches. However, in the voting process of these algorithms, a node cannot vote for itself. We argue that this voting schema runs counter to many real scenarios. To address this issue, we designed the VoteRank* algorithm, in which we first introduce the self-voting mechanism into the voting process. In addition, we also take into consideration the diversities of nodes. More explicitly, we measure the voting ability of nodes and the amount of a node voting for its neighbors based on the H-index of nodes. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is experimentally verified on 12 benchmark networks. The results demonstrate that VoteRank* is superior to the baseline methods in most cases.

Risk and protective factors of social networks on alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use among urban American Indian/Alaska Native emerging adults

OBJECTIVES

Assess associations between social networks and urban American Indian/Alaska Native emerging adults' alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use and intentions.

METHOD

American Indian/Alaska Native participants ages 18-25 (N = 150; 86% female) were recruited across the United States from 12/20 to 10/21 via social media. Participants named up to 15 people whom they talked with most over the past 3 months and reported who (a) used alcohol and cannabis heavily or used other drugs (e.g., opioid use), (b) engaged in traditional practices, and (c) provided support. They also reported past 3-month alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use and intentions to use.

RESULTS

Having a higher proportion of network members engaging in regular cannabis and heavy alcohol use (but not other drugs) was associated with more frequent cannabis use and stronger cannabis use intentions. Participants with higher proportions of members engaging in heavy alcohol use, regular cannabis use, or other drug use and who did not engage in traditional practices were more likely to report cannabis use and greater intentions to use cannabis and drink alcohol. In contrast, participants with higher proportions of network members engaging in traditional practices and who did not report heavy alcohol use, regular cannabis use, or other drug use were less likely to report intentions to use cannabis or drink alcohol.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings emphasize what many studies have shown among various racial/ethnic groups-having network members who use substances increases the chance of use. Findings also highlight that traditional practices may be an important part of the prevention approach for this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Social network structure and the spread of complex contagions from a population genetics perspective

Ideas, behaviors, and opinions spread through social networks. If the probability of spreading to a new individual is a nonlinear function of the fraction of the individuals' affected neighbors, such a spreading process becomes a "complex contagion." This nonlinearity does not typically appear with physically spreading infections, but instead can emerge when the concept that is spreading is subject to game theoretical considerations (e.g., for choices of strategy or behavior) or psychological effects such as social reinforcement and other forms of peer influence (e.g., for ideas, preferences, or opinions). Here we study how the stochastic dynamics of such complex contagions are affected by the underlying network structure. Motivated by simulations of complex contagions on real social networks, we present a framework for analyzing the statistics of contagions with arbitrary nonlinear adoption probabilities based on the mathematical tools of population genetics. The central idea is to use an effective lower-dimensional diffusion process to approximate the statistics of the contagion. This leads to a tradeoff between the effects of "selection" (microscopic tendencies for an idea to spread or die out), random drift, and network structure. Our framework illustrates intuitively several key properties of complex contagions: stronger community structure and network sparsity can significantly enhance the spread, while broad degree distributions dampen the effect of selection compared to random drift. Finally, we show that some structural features can exhibit critical values that demarcate regimes where global contagions become possible for networks of arbitrary size. Our results draw parallels between the competition of genes in a population and memes in a world of minds and ideas. Our tools provide insight into the spread of information, behaviors, and ideas via social influence, and highlight the role of macroscopic network structure in determining their fate.

Unpacking the relationship between technological conflicts, dissatisfaction, and social media discontinuance intention: An integrated theoretical perspective

Previous research has largely overlooked the examination of the association between family, work, and personal (FWP) conflict, user dissatisfaction, and subsequent discontinuation intention in the context of social networking sites (SNS). Addressing this research gap, the present study aims to present an integrated theoretical perspective that combines Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory (EDT) and Merton's functions. By doing so, we seek to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing SNS withdrawal behavior. To achieve this objective, data were collected from 360 SNS users using a time-lag method across three waves, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed for data analysis. The findings of our study reveal that all three disconfirmation-based factors (i.e., FWP conflicts) positively contribute to SNS user dissatisfaction, which subsequently leads to users' intention to discontinue their SNS usage. Additionally, we explored the moderating role of Merton's functions, specifically manifest and latent functions, in influencing users' decisions to discontinue SNS use. The results indicate that the manifest functions of social media weaken the relationship between dissatisfaction and discontinuation intention, whereas the latent functions do not exhibit a significant interaction effect. By proposing a dual theoretically integrated mechanism of SNS discontinuation intention, study contributes to the existing literature in the field of information systems. Furthermore, our findings provide valuable insights for managers regarding the timing and manner in which social media FWP conflicts can lead to user dissatisfaction. This knowledge can assist in the development of effective strategies aimed at retaining users in SNS and enhancing their overall user experience.

[Social networks as a space of communication on health issues]

Social media is bringing a new dimension to healthcare as it offers an environment through which the public, patients, and healthcare professionals can report health issues with the possibility of potentially improving health outcomes. Social networks are a powerful tool that ensures cooperation between users and is a mechanism of social interaction for a wide range of people. Although the use of social networks for communication in the field of health has a number of advantages, the exchange of information must be monitored for quality and reliability, as well as to preserve the confidentiality of users.

Adolescent friendship, cross-sexuality ties, and attitudes toward sexual minorities: A social network approach to intergroup contact

Social ties between members of in- and outgroups are theorized to reduce individual levels of prejudice. However, instances of intergroup contact are not isolated events; cross-group interactions are embedded in broader networks defined by various social processes that guide the formation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. This project reconsiders the potential benefits of intergroup contact by applying a network perspective to examine whether friendships between youth of different sexualities can shape individuals' homophobic attitudes. The impact of cross-sexuality ties is evaluated through the application of stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOMs) to a two-wave sample of Dutch adolescents. Results indicate that the benefits of cross-sexuality connections become negligible when we account for how patterns of network connectivity and segregation are informed by other individual-level traits, such as age, religious background, ethnicity, and gender. In other words, heterosexual adolescents who are situated in network positions that provide opportunities to form cross-sexuality friendships would be expected to report less homophobic attitudes even in the absence of this intergroup contact. These findings suggest that the cross-sexuality contact observed in the social world often represents instances of "preaching to the choir," limiting the potential for intergroup connections to challenge systems of social inequality.

Evaluation of approaches to recruitment of racially and ethnically diverse breast cancer patients from an integrated health care setting for collection of observational social network data

PURPOSE

We compared approaches to recruitment of diverse women with breast cancer in a study designed to collect complex social network data.

METHODS

We recruited 440 women from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California population newly diagnosed with breast cancer, either in person at a clinic, by email, or by mailed letter. In clinic and mail recruitment, women completed a brief 3-page paper survey (epidemiologic data only), and women had the option to complete a separate, longer (30-40 min) personal social network survey online. In email recruitment, we administered epidemiologic and personal social network measures together in a single online survey. In email and mail recruitment, we limited the sample of non-Hispanic white (NHW) women to 30% of their total. We used descriptive analysis and multinomial logistic regression to examine odds of recruitment vs. mailed letter.

RESULTS

Women responded to the social network surveys on average 3.7 months post-diagnosis. Mean age was 59.3 (median = 61.0). In-person clinic recruitment was superior with a 52.1% success rate of recruitment compared with 35.6% by mail or 17.3% by email (χ2 = 65.9, p < 0.001). Email recruitment produced the highest completion rate (82.1%) of personal network data compared with clinic (36.5%) or mail (28.7%), (χ2 = 114.6, p < 0.001). Despite intentional undersampling of NHW patients, response rates for Asian, Hispanic, and Black women by email were lower. However, we found no significant differences in recruitment rates by race and ethnicity for face-to-face clinic recruitment vs. by letter. Letter recruitment produced the highest overall response.

CONCLUSION

Mailed letter was the best approach to representative recruitment of diverse women with breast cancer and collection of social network data, and further yielded the highest absolute response.

Impact of family networks on uptake of health interventions: evidence from a community-randomized control trial aimed at increasing HIV testing in South Africa

INTRODUCTION

While it is widely acknowledged that family relationships can influence health outcomes, their impact on the uptake of individual health interventions is unclear. In this study, we quantified how the efficacy of a randomized health intervention is shaped by its pattern of distribution in the family network.

METHODS

The "Home-Based Intervention to Test and Start" (HITS) was a 2×2 factorial community-randomized controlled trial in Umkhanyakude, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, embedded in the Africa Health Research Institute's population-based demographic and HIV surveillance platform (ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT03757104). The study investigated the impact of two interventions: a financial micro-incentive and a male-targeted HIV-specific decision support programme. The surveillance area was divided into 45 community clusters. Individuals aged ≥15 years in 16 randomly selected communities were offered a micro-incentive (R50 [$3] food voucher) for rapid HIV testing (intervention arm). Those living in the remaining 29 communities were offered testing only (control arm). Study data were collected between February and November 2018. Using routinely collected data on parents, conjugal partners, and co-residents, a socio-centric family network was constructed among HITS-eligible individuals. Nodes in this network represent individuals and ties represent family relationships. We estimated the effect of offering the incentive to people with and without family members who also received the offer on the uptake of HIV testing. We fitted a linear probability model with robust standard errors, accounting for clustering at the community level.

RESULTS

Overall, 15,675 people participated in the HITS trial. Among those with no family members who received the offer, the incentive's efficacy was a 6.5 percentage point increase (95% CI: 5.3-7.7). The efficacy was higher among those with at least one family member who received the offer (21.1 percentage point increase (95% CI: 19.9-22.3). The difference in efficacy was statistically significant (21.1-6.5 = 14.6%; 95% CI: 9.3-19.9).

CONCLUSIONS

Micro-incentives appear to have synergistic effects when distributed within family networks. These effects support family network-based approaches for the design of health interventions.

Using a Geosocial Networking App to Investigate New HIV Infections and Related Risk Factors Among Student and Nonstudent Men Who Have Sex With Men in Chengdu, China: Open Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

In China, condomless sex among men who have sex with men (MSM) is the primary route of HIV infection in young people. Chengdu is a hotspot for reported HIV cases among young people nationwide. Extensive use of geosocial networking (GSN) smartphone apps has dramatically changed the pattern of sexual behavior among young MSM (YMSM). However, data on HIV incidence and the risk behavior of YMSM using the GSN app are still obscure.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to analyze and understand the HIV incidence and its risk factors among YMSM using GSN apps in Chengdu, China.

METHODS

An open cohort study was conducted among YMSM aged 18-24 years through a gay GSN smartphone app in Chengdu, China, from July 2018 to December 2020. Every participant completed a web-based questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, and other related statuses; made a reservation for a web-based HIV testing; and then voluntarily got tested at the designated testing site. At least one additional HIV test was taken via the app during the study period, and participants were evaluated at the end of the study or at the time of HIV seroconversion. By dividing the sum of the observed HIV seroconversions by the observed person-years, HIV incidence was calculated and compared between the student and nonstudent MSM. Univariate and multivariate (Cox proportional hazards regression) analyses were used to discuss the risk factors for new HIV infections.

RESULTS

In the study cohort, 24 seroconversions occurred among 625 YMSM who took at least two HIV tests through the app during the study period, contributing to 505 observed person-years. The HIV incidence rate per 100 person-years was 4.75 (95% CI 2.89-6.61) among all MSM, 3.60 (95% CI 1.27-5.93) among student MSM, and 5.88 (95% CI 2.97-8.79) among nonstudent MSM. In addition, the HIV incidence per 100 person-years was 11.11 (95% CI 4.49-17.73) among those who had resided in the area for 6 months or less and 7.14 (95% CI 1.52-12.77) among those with senior high school or less education. Two or more sexual partners (adjusted hazards ratio [HR] 3.63, 95% CI 1.08-12.23) in the preceding 6 months was a risk factor for new HIV infections. Consistent condom use for anal sex (adjusted HR 0.38, 95% CI 0.16-0.88) and insertive anal sex only (adjusted HR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01-0.75) in the preceding 6 months were protective factors for new HIV infections.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of new HIV infections among YMSM who actively used GSN smartphone apps was high, especially among migrant nonstudent MSM. Targeted interventions on GSN smartphone apps should be implemented to provide demand-adapted prevention and services to reduce the threat of HIV.

Understanding the Impact of Social Networks on the Spread of Obesity

Previous research has highlighted the significant role social networks play in the spread of non-communicable chronic diseases. In our research, we seek to explore the impact of these networks in more detail and gain insight into the mechanisms that drive this. We use obesity as a case study. To achieve this, we develop a generalisable hybrid simulation and optimisation approach aimed at gaining qualitative and quantitative insights into the effect of social networks on the spread of obesity. Our simulation model has two components. Firstly, an agent-based component mimics the dynamic structure of the social network within which individuals are situated. Secondly, a system dynamics component replicates the relevant behaviours of those individuals. The parameters from the combined model are refined and optimised using longitudinal data from the United Kingdom. The simulation produces projections of Body Mass Index broken down by different age groups and gender over a 10-year period. These projections are used to explore a range of scenarios in a computational study designed to address our research aims. The study reveals that, for the youngest population sub-groups, the network acts to magnify the impact of external and social factors on changes in obesity, whereas, for older sub-groups, the network mitigates the impact of these factors. The magnitude of that impact is inversely correlated with age. Our approach can be used by public health decision makers as well as managers in adult weight management services to enhance initiatives and strategies intended to reduce obesity. Our approach is generalisable to understand the impact of social networks on similar non-communicable diseases.

Social Network, Food Patterns, Physical Activity and Associations with Overweight and Obesity in Adolescents from a School in Rural Brazil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the social network, food patterns, physical activity, and their associations with overweight/obesity in adolescents from a school in rural Brazil. Students from a rural school in Northeast Brazil (n = 90) completed questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics, food consumption, physical activity, and a name generator. Social networks were constructed using students' social proximity ties. Principal component analysis was performed to determine food patterns, and logistic models were used to investigate variables associated with overweight/obesity. Most participants were girls (62.9%), and the proportion of overweight/obesity was 30% among adolescents. Students cited 2070 people from their networks (family, friends at school, friends outside of school, and others). Among them, the family had the highest degree of influence (61%) in the network and had the most shared meals with adolescents (47%). Adolescents' perception of their family members' body size as obese, compared to normal or underweight, was prevalent (51%). Adolescents with unhealthy food patterns were 72% more likely to be categorized as overweight/obese, and eigenvector centrality was also associated with overweight/obesity (OR = 5.88, 95% CI = 1.08-32.03). Adolescents presented a social network with strong family influence, in which a high percentage of overweight/obesity was observed. Adolescents with high eigenvector centrality were more likely to be in the overweight/obesity category. Additionally, overweight/obesity was associated with unhealthy food patterns in the family network.

[Relevance of social networks in social mobilization to deal with arboviruses in the municipality of Betim, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil]

This article consists of an analysis of the social networks of the residents of a community in Betim, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, to understand how they can be used in social mobilization strategies against dengue, zika, and chikungunya within the territory. The life trajectory method was used to analyze the events and social conditioning factors of the formation, maintenance, and rupture of these networks, the quality and intensity of the bonds, the characteristics of social capital, and its variation along the trajectory of individuals. The understanding of the structure of the networks highlights some important aspects for the elaboration of new social mobilization strategies within the scope of the health surveillance proposal to be implemented locally. Within the trajectory of the interviewees, the neighborhood was revealed as an important network of reciprocity and provision of resources in daily life, considering the physical proximity and the duration of the relationships. Additionally, religious networks have a significant presence in the daily lives of residents, being strongly anchored in the provision of social "assistance" guided by solidarity values. We believe that the popular committees can stimulate these networks, especially the religious ones, to use their cultural and symbolic repertoire to work on issues of interest to the neighborhoods, such as the promotion of health, promotion of healthy and sustainable territories, local development and income generation, infrastructure improvement, and environmental preservation.

Exploring the use of social network interventions for adults with mental health difficulties: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

People with mental health difficulties often experience social isolation. The importance of interventions to enhance social networks and reduce this isolation is increasingly being recognised. However, the literature has not yet been systematically reviewed with regards to how these are best used. This narrative synthesis aimed to investigate the role of social network interventions for people with mental health difficulties and identify barriers and facilitators to effective delivery. This was undertaken with a view to understanding how social network interventions might work best in the mental health field.

METHODS

Systematic searches using combinations of synonyms for mental health difficulties and social network interventions were undertaken across 7 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science) and 2 grey literature databases (EThoS and OpenGrey) from their inception to October 2021. We included studies reporting primary qualitative and quantitative data from all study types relating to the use of social network interventions for people with mental health difficulties. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data were extracted and synthesised narratively.

RESULTS

The review included 54 studies, reporting data from 6,249 participants. Social network interventions were generally beneficial for people with mental health difficulties but heterogeneity in intervention type, implementation and evaluation made it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Interventions worked best when they (1) were personalised to individual needs, interests and health, (2) were delivered outside formal health services and (3) provided the opportunity to engage in authentic valued activities. Several barriers to access were identified which, without careful consideration could exacerbate existing health inequalities. Further research is required to fully understand condition-specific barriers which may limit access to, and efficacy of, interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies for improving social networks for people with mental health difficulties should focus on supporting engagement with personalised and supported social activities outside of formal mental health services. To optimise access and uptake, accessibility barriers should be carefully considered within implementation contexts and equality, diversity and inclusion should be prioritised in intervention design, delivery and evaluation and in future research.

Social network position is a major predictor of ant behavior, microbiota composition, and brain gene expression

The physiology and behavior of social organisms correlate with their social environments. However, because social environments are typically confounded by age and physical environments (i.e., spatial location and associated abiotic factors), these correlations are usually difficult to interpret. For example, associations between an individual's social environment and its gene expression patterns may result from both factors being driven by age or behavior. Simultaneous measurement of pertinent variables and quantification of the correlations between these variables can indicate whether relationships are direct (and possibly causal) or indirect. Here, we combine demographic and automated behavioral tracking with a multiomic approach to dissect the correlation structure among the social and physical environment, age, behavior, brain gene expression, and microbiota composition in the carpenter ant Camponotus fellah. Variations in physiology and behavior were most strongly correlated with the social environment. Moreover, seemingly strong correlations between brain gene expression and microbiota composition, physical environment, age, and behavior became weak when controlling for the social environment. Consistent with this, a machine learning analysis revealed that from brain gene expression data, an individual's social environment can be more accurately predicted than any other behavioral metric. These results indicate that social environment is a key regulator of behavior and physiology.

Social network-structural position and obesity: Evidence from a national study

This study expands on research on the social-structural bases of obesity by examining the role played by individuals' positions within their egocentric social networks in shaping body mass index. We argue that individuals' tendency to be a bridge between otherwise unconnected people can affect body mass index. Furthermore, health-specific resources flowing through their networks might interact with this network-structural position to shape this association. Using multivariate analyses of recent nationally representative data on older Americans, we find that occupying a bridging position within a network is negatively related to the likelihood of being obese. Moreover, people who have this bridging potential tend to benefit more from health-related knowledge in their networks than those who do not have it. Our findings underscore the importance of considering social network position and the functional specificity of ties in understanding the structural bases of health problems like obesity. We close by discussing implications of these findings for future work on obesity including potential insights into important health disparities.

Social network interventions to support cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention in the management of people with heart disease

BACKGROUND

Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVD, that is, coronary heart (CHD) and circulatory diseases combined) contribute to 31% of all deaths, more than any other cause. In line with guidance in the UK and globally, cardiac rehabilitation programmes are widely offered to people with heart disease, and include psychosocial, educational, health behaviour change, and risk management components. Social support and social network interventions have potential to improve outcomes of these programmes, but whether and how these interventions work is poorly understood.  OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of social network and social support interventions to support cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention in the management of people with heart disease. The comparator was usual care with no element of social support (i.e. secondary prevention alone or with cardiac rehabilitation).  SEARCH METHODS: We undertook a systematic search of the following databases on 9 August 2022: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Web of Science. We also searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO ICTRP. We reviewed the reference lists of relevant systematic reviews and included primary studies, and we contacted experts to identify additional studies.  SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of social network or social support interventions for people with heart disease. We included studies regardless of their duration of follow-up, and included those reported as full text, published as abstract only, and unpublished data.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Using Covidence, two review authors independently screened all identified titles. We retrieved full-text study reports and publications marked 'included', and two review authors independently screened these, and conducted data extraction. Two authors independently assessed risk of bias, and assessed the certainty of the evidence using GRADE. Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular-related mortality, all-cause hospital admission, cardiovascular-related hospital admission, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measured at > 12 months follow-up.  MAIN RESULTS: We included 54 RCTs (126 publications) reporting data for a total of 11,445 people with heart disease. The median follow-up was seven months and median sample size was 96 participants. Of included study participants, 6414 (56%) were male, and the mean age ranged from 48.6 to 76.3 years. Studies included heart failure (41%), mixed cardiac disease (31%), post-myocardial infarction (13%), post-revascularisation (7%), CHD (7%), and cardiac X syndrome (1%) patients. The median intervention duration was 12 weeks. We identified notable diversity in social network and social support interventions, across what was delivered, how, and by whom.  We assessed risk of bias (RoB) in primary outcomes at > 12 months follow-up as either 'low' (2/15 studies), 'some concerns' (11/15), or 'high' (2/15). 'Some concerns' or 'high' RoB resulted from insufficient detail on blinding of outcome assessors, data missingness, and absence of pre-agreed statistical analysis plans. In particular, HRQoL outcomes were at high RoB. Using the GRADE method, we assessed the certainty of evidence as low or very low across outcomes. Social network or social support interventions had no clear effect on all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49 to 1.13, I2 = 40%) or cardiovascular-related mortality (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.10, I2 = 0%) at > 12 months follow-up. The evidence suggests that social network or social support interventions for heart disease may result in little to no difference in all-cause hospital admission (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.22, I2 = 0%), or cardiovascular-related hospital admission (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.10, I2 = 16%), with a low level of certainty. The evidence was very uncertain regarding the impact of social network interventions on HRQoL at > 12 months follow-up (SF-36 physical component score: mean difference (MD) 31.53, 95% CI -28.65 to 91.71, I2 = 100%, 2 trials/comparisons, 166 participants; mental component score MD 30.62, 95% CI -33.88 to 95.13, I2 = 100%, 2 trials/comparisons, 166 participants).  Regarding secondary outcomes, there may be a decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure with social network or social support interventions. There was no evidence of impact found on psychological well-being, smoking, cholesterol, myocardial infarction, revascularisation, return to work/education, social isolation or connectedness, patient satisfaction, or adverse events.  Results of meta-regression did not suggest that the intervention effect was related to risk of bias, intervention type, duration, setting, and delivery mode, population type, study location, participant age, or percentage of male participants.  AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found no strong evidence for the effectiveness of such interventions, although modest effects were identified in relation to blood pressure. While the data presented in this review are indicative of potential for positive effects, the review also highlights the lack of sufficient evidence to conclusively support such interventions for people with heart disease. Further high-quality, well-reported RCTs are required to fully explore the potential of social support interventions in this context. Future reporting of social network and social support interventions for people with heart disease needs to be significantly clearer, and more effectively theorised, in order to ascertain causal pathways and effect on outcomes.

The association between passive social network usage and depression/negative emotions with envy as a mediator

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between passive social network usage (PSNU) and depression/negative emotions over time with the mediating role of envy among Vietnamese adolescents. First, it revealed that PSNU had a simultaneous effect on depression/negative emotions as well as at different time points, indicating that social network site behaviors can predict psychological states over time (explained by the social comparison theory). Second, the autoregressive effect also confirmed a potential reciprocal relationship between PSNU and depression, whereas PSNU appeared to have an impact on negative emotions but not the other way around. Specifically, depression at Time 1 was positively associated with PSNU at Time 2, whereas negative emotions did not exhibit a similar pattern (explained by the cognitive dissonance theory). The different associations were interpreted as depression having cognitive elements, while negative emotions were thought to be purely emotional states. The results demonstrated that behavior may potentially have a long-lasting effect on mental health (both negative emotions and depression), while it was depression, rather than negative emotions, that had a long-term effect on behaviors. Third, envy played a mediating role that connected the changes of PSNU and depression/negative emotions. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

[Evaluation of the Dunning Kruger effect in relation to vaccination: a study of messages on the social network LinkedIn.]

OBJECTIVE

The Dunning-Kruger effect refers to an excess of confidence regarding one's abilities and knowledge; trust leads to transmitting information in an assertive manner, regardless of its validity or veracity, of experts, but of great impact on public opinion. This study evaluated the existence of the Dunning-Kruger effect in messages related to vaccination against COVID-19 on LinkedIn.

METHODS

448 messages were evaluated and the authors' knowledge and training on the subject were related. In the statistical treatment, the Chi-square test was performed to determine if there is a significant association between the variables, establishing the level of significance at P<0.05. These procedures were carried out using SPSS statistical software.

RESULTS

448 messages were analyzed. Of these, 153 reflected very high certainty, 115 medium certainty, 107 low certainty and 73 reflected doubts. The group that issued the most messages with absolute certainty (41.8%) was the group with minimal knowledge about COVID-19. Of this group without knowledge on the subject, only 7.1% expressed messages without expressing certainty. The group with very high knowledge on the subject was more likely to reflect uncertainty, communicating 15.7% of the messages with absolute certainty and 37.1% with zero certainty.

CONCLUSIONS

It is obtained that those people with less knowledge express their messages more assertively and present less acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in their speeches. The presence of the Dunning-Kruger effect in relation to COVID-19 vaccination is demonstrated.

Delivery of WeChat-Based HIV Result e-Reports in Social Networks for Recruitment of High-Risk Population: Baseline Data From a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Disclosure of infectious disease status to social network peers can facilitate reaching and early detection among high-risk populations. In this era of social media, globally, HIV/AIDS represents a high burden of infectious disease. Thus, delivery of an HIV result e-report via social media presents a new approach that has the potential to improve contact with and enrollment of the high-risk population in research studies and routine practice.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the effectiveness and associated factors of a recruitment strategy (ie, WeChat-based HIV e-report delivery in social networks) on the enrollment of men who have sex with men (MSM) for an HIV testing intervention study.

METHODS

This was an enrollment result analysis of an ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) aiming to promote HIV testing among MSM. Recruitment of potential participants was based on the unit of an egocentric social network, which includes 1 core member (an offline tested ego as the recruiter) and several network members (online alters as network associates). Alters' enrollment and alters' transformation to ego-recruiters (alter-ego) were measured as outcomes. Recruitment outcomes were compared between the exchangeable and regular e-report groups of the RCT. Associated factors of both outcomes were also investigated, including sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, social network characteristics, e-report types, and online delivery information. Binary outcomes were modeled using logistic models, with Firth correction for rare events. Qualitative interviews were conducted to understand facilitators and barriers in detail for alter-ego as the subsequent wave's recruiter.

RESULTS

The e-report of 1157 egos who tested offline were delivered to 5165 alters in 3 recruitment waves; eventually, 1162 eligible alters enrolled in this RCT (response rate: 22.5%). In the exchangeable e-report group, 544 egos recruited 467 alters, of which 35 alters transformed to alter-egos (7.5%), whereas in the regular e-report group, 613 egos recruited 695 alters, of which 40 alters transformed to alter-egos (5.8%). Alters' enrollment at first wave was associated with a higher number of e-reports being forwarded by the egos. Alters' transformation to alter-egos for the subsequent wave was associated with the exchangeable e-report, higher income, being a Guangzhou resident, unprotected anal intercourse, preferring self-testing, and viewing senders' e-reports frequently. Qualitative interviews revealed that the lack of awareness of e-reports' function and inadequate access to e-reports at offline testing facilities were major barriers to alters' transformation to offline ego-recruiters.

CONCLUSIONS

The delivery of e-report was feasible in MSM social network, and the success and sustainability of online recruitment depended on high levels of familiarity among MSM with the digital tool. The HIV e-report exchange mechanism might promote MSM to test HIV offline to get their own e-report for exchange in the community. The e-report provides an innovative recruitment method with great potential to trace direct contacts for infectious diseases studies.

Impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on social network abuse among adolescents during COVID-19 outbreak in Italy

BACKGROUND AND AIM

This paper explores the relationship between Online Social Network (OSNs) abuse, Emotional Intelligence (EI), and distress due to COVID-19 confinement among adolescents.

METHODS

A sample of 226 students from North Italy aged between 16 and 18 years completed from March to June 2020 the Bergen Social Media Scale (BSMAS), Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21).

RESULTS

Females scored higher in social network use as compared to males [t (225) = 46.56, p = <.05]. The prevalence of symptoms of distress was also higher in females. Conversely, males scored significantly higher on total EI as compared to their counterparts [t (178) = 4.1544, p = <.003] indicating that high EI contributes towards better self-perception of psychological wellbeing. On the contrary, having high stress levels and low EI levels seems to predict the possibility to experience in a social network addiction.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggested EI as a protective factor for OSNs' addiction. Results support the need of implementing programs aimed at adopting an appropriate approach to the digital world and particularly addressed towards the growth of EI to reduce dysfunctional behaviors in adolescence. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Description of the Novel Networking, Open Discussion, Engagement, and Self-Promotion (NODES) Framework for the Advancement of Women Physicians on Social Media

The Networking, Open Discussion, Engagement, and Self-Promotion (NODES) framework is a strategy that women in medicine can deploy at conferences to broaden their professional networks and engage with colleagues. The NODES framework was designed and implemented for use at the Women in Medicine Summit, an annual conference that unites women to combat gender inequality in medicine. Intentional use of social media at conferences using the NODES framework by women in medicine can increase the visibility of research projects and may lead to speaking engagements and awards.

Stigmatizing attitudes toward Internet gaming disorder, Problematic smartphone use and Problematic social networking site use: An experimental vignette study

Public stigma on substance and gambling disorders have been well documented. Negative effects of stigma include shame, embarrassment, fear being judged and the determent of help-seeking behaviors among stigmatized individuals. Less is known about the public perception toward Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and other widespread problematic behaviors that share some characteristics with established behavioral addictions, such as Problematic smartphone use (PSU) and Problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU). The purpose of this study is to compare the public perception of problematic Internet gamers, problematic smartphone users and problematic social networking sites users using an experimental within-group vignette study design. A sample of 280 adults (F = 72.1%; M_age = 32.84, SD = 13.85) was recruited and completed the study online. Participants were presented with male OR female vignettes (i.e. the gender of the target in the vignette was randomized) describing an individual with IGD, PSU, and PSNSU. A repeated-measures ANOVA followed by post hoc tests using Bonferroni's correction was used. IGD was seen as more serious, more noticeable, and less understandable than both PSU and PSNU. Moreover, participants' emotional reaction (e.g., anger and sadness) and desired social distance were significantly stronger toward IGD. However, vanity attributions were higher for individuals with PSNSU, which were also more blamed compared to both IGD and PSU. PSU was seen as more controllable than both IGD and PSNSU. The results, taken together, suggest that IGD is perceived as more inherently problematic, but PSNSU also seem to deserve scientific attention as individuals showing symptoms of PSNSU are blamed more than problematic Internet gamers. Our findings provide initial information that can be used when developing interventions to impact stigma toward technological addictions.

Assessing intervention effects in a randomized trial within a social network

Studies of social networks provide unique opportunities to assess the causal effects of interventions that may impact more of the population than just those intervened on directly. Such effects are sometimes called peer or spillover effects, and may exist in the presence of interference, that is, when one individual's treatment affects another individual's outcome. Randomization-based inference (RI) methods provide a theoretical basis for causal inference in randomized studies, even in the presence of interference. In this article, we consider RI of the intervention effect in the eX-FLU trial, a randomized study designed to assess the effect of a social distancing intervention on influenza-like-illness transmission in a connected network of college students. The approach considered enables inference about the effect of the social distancing intervention on the per-contact probability of influenza-like-illness transmission in the observed network. The methods allow for interference between connected individuals and for heterogeneous treatment effects. The proposed methods are evaluated empirically via simulation studies, and then applied to data from the eX-FLU trial.

Age integration in the social convoys of young and late midlife adults

Homophily on the basis of age is a notable characteristic of social convoys across the life course. Ties to older and younger persons, therefore, are both unusual and potentially provide unique social support resources. This study examined relationships with older, younger, and same-aged non-kin ties among young and late midlife adults. Data came from the University of California Berkeley Social Networks Study (UCNets), a sample of 485 people aged 21-30 and 674 people aged 50-70. A majority of non-kin ties were to people whose age was within 5 years of the participant's own age, although the majority was much larger for young adults (81 %) than late midlife adults (52 %). Younger and older ties often came from different social settings (school, work, religious organizations, and neighborhoods) than same-aged ties, and there were also some cohort differences in the social settings that produced younger, older, and same-aged ties. Younger and older ties also provided different forms of social support than did ties to same-aged persons. Again, the functions of younger and older ties varied by cohort. Implications for life course studies are discussed.

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a DSM-V-Based Social Networking Site Use Disorder Test: The SNS-DT-10

While the problematic use of Social Networking Sites (SNS) has been observed in some individuals, few validated and widely accepted measures are available to assess and screen for problematic use. This is an attempt at adapting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-based Internet Gaming Disorder Test-10 (IGDT-10) measure to assess SNS use disorder and problematic SNS use in the form of the SNS use disorder Test-10 (SNS-DT-10) questionnaire, and assessing its validity and reliability. The study was conducted in three phases: First, the IGDT-10 questionnaire was translated and adapted to assess SNS use disorder, and content validity was assessed. Then, a sample of 126 students from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences was used to determine internal consistency and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Finally, retest data from 87 participants were used to estimate test-retest reliability. Item content validity indices were above .80 and scale content validity indices surpassed .83. The root mean square error of approximation for the 1-factor model was .04 and the comparative fit and Tucker-Lewis fit indices were .97 and .96, respectively, indicating appropriate construct validity. The intra-class correlation coefficient of the number of positive criteria for SNS use disorder was .81 and the Kappa coefficients for SNS use disorder and problematic SNS use were .85 and .57. Cronbach's alpha was .79 for the entire questionnaire. Overall, the SNS-DT-10 questionnaire has appropriate content and construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Further validation of this questionnaire in larger and more diverse samples and comparison with professional clinical diagnostic interviews are warranted.

Social networks are shaped by culturally contingent assessments of social competence

Cultural outsiders, like immigrants or international students, often struggle to make friends. We propose that one barrier to social connection is not knowing what it means to be socially competent in the host culture. First-year students at a U.S. business school (N = 1328) completed a social network survey and rated their own social competence and that of several peers. International students were rated by peers as less socially competent than U.S. students, especially if they were from nations more culturally dissimilar to the U.S. International students' self-reported competence ratings were uncorrelated with peers' judgments. Social network analysis revealed international students were less central to their peer networks than U.S. students, although this gap was reduced if peers evaluated them as socially competent. Peer-reported competence mediated the effects of international student status on social network centrality. Since learning local norms takes time, we suggest inclusivity will require host communities to define social competence more broadly.

Loneliness and social networks of older adults in rural communities: a narrative synthesis systematic review

Introduction

Loneliness has significant impacts on the health of older adults. Social networks help to improve psychosocial and quality of life outcomes among older adults. A fifth of older adults live in rural communities, where geographic isolation poses challenges to health. The dynamics of social networks of older adults in rural communities has not been explored.

Objective

To synthesize the literature related to loneliness and social networks of older adults in rural settings.

Methods

A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted through searching six bibliographic databases to retrieve peer-reviewed literature with no time limits. We performed a methodological assessment of each study using a mixed method quality assessment tool. Findings are synthesized thematically.

Results

A total of 50 studies (32 quantitative, 15 qualitative, and 3 mixed methods) were included in this review. Studies were conducted in 17 different countries, the majority from China (n = 12), the UK (n = 9), and USA (n = 9). Findings revealed that social networks of older adults consist of family, friends and neighbors and continue to be developed through participation in various physical and social activities such as walking groups and participation in religious events. Social networks offer informational, functional, psychological and social support to older adults. Through their social networks, older adults feel socially connected and cared for. Successful interventions to improve social networks and address loneliness were those developed in groups or one-on-one with the older adults. The key ingredient to the positive impact of these interventions on reducing social isolation and loneliness was the formation of a social connection and regular engagement with the older adults. However, the review did not find any explicitly reported theory or model on which these interventions are based.

Conclusion

The prevalence of loneliness among older adults in rural areas needs urgent attention. Social network theory and methods can help in developing interventions to address social isolation and loneliness among older adults in rural communities.

Mediators and moderators of the effect of the game changers for cervical cancer prevention intervention on cervical cancer screening among previously unscreened social network members in Uganda

INTRODUCTION

Cervical cancer (CC) rates are high in Uganda, yet CC screening rates are very low. Our peer advocacy group intervention, Game Changers for Cervical Cancer Prevention (GC-CCP), was shown to increase CC screening uptake among social network members. In this secondary analysis, we examined mediators and moderators of this effect to better understand how and for whom the intervention was most successful in promoting CC screening.

METHODS

We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial of GC-CCP in Namayingo district, Eastern Uganda between September 2021 and April 2022. Forty adult women who had screened for CC in the past year (index participants) enrolled at baseline: 20 were randomized to receive the 7-session intervention to empower women to engage in CC prevention advocacy, and 20 were assigned to the waitlist control; from these index participants, 103 unscreened social network members (alters) also enrolled. All participants were assessed at baseline and month 6 follow-up. Change in cognitive and behavioral CC-related constructs from baseline to month 6 were examined as mediators, using multivariate linear regression analysis. Index and alter demographics and index CC treatment status were examined as moderators.

RESULTS

Increased alter engagement in CC prevention advocacy fully mediated the intervention effect on alter uptake of CC screening, and was associated with an increased likelihood of alter CC screening. CC treatment status of the index participant was the sole moderator of the intervention effect, as those in the intervention group who had screened positive and received treatment for pre-cancerous lesions were more likely to have alters who got screened for CC by month 6.

CONCLUSION

The effect of GC-CCP on alter CC screening is greater when the alter reports increased engagement in her own advocacy for CC prevention with others. The intervention effects on increased engagement in CC prevention advocacy among both index and alter participants suggest a diffusion of advocacy, which bodes well for dissemination of knowledge and screening activation throughout a network and the larger community.

Social Network Diversity and the Daily Burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

INTRODUCTION

To examine the association between social network, daily inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) burden, and related cognitive factors such as loneliness and psychological well-being.

METHODS

Using survey data, we compared the relationship between social network diversity and daily IBD burden with multivariable linear regression.

RESULTS

Patients with IBD with higher social network diversity reported a lower daily IBD burden. This association was more common among those who reported a higher degree of loneliness than those with a low degree of loneliness.

DISCUSSION

We should consider diverse social connections as an indicator of risk for higher IBD burden, especially among lonely patients.

Interspecies Interactions within the Host: the Social Network of Group B Streptococcus

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a pervasive neonatal pathogen accounting for a combined half a million deaths and stillbirths annually. The most common source of fetal or neonatal GBS exposure is the maternal microbiota. GBS asymptomatically colonizes the gastrointestinal and vaginal mucosa of 1 in 5 individuals globally, although its precise role in these niches is not well understood. To prevent vertical transmission, broad-spectrum antibiotics are administered to GBS-positive mothers during labor in many countries. Although antibiotics have significantly reduced GBS early-onset neonatal disease, there are several unintended consequences, including an altered neonatal microbiota and increased risk for other microbial infections. Additionally, the incidence of late-onset GBS neonatal disease remains unaffected and has sparked an emerging hypothesis that GBS-microbe interactions in developing neonatal gut microbiota may be directly involved in this disease process. This review summarizes our current understanding of GBS interactions with other resident microbes at the mucosal surface from multiple angles, including clinical association studies, agriculture and aquaculture observations, and experimental animal model systems. We also include a comprehensive review of in vitro findings of GBS interactions with other bacterial and fungal microbes, both commensal and pathogenic, along with newly established animal models of GBS vaginal colonization and in utero or neonatal infection. Finally, we provide a perspective on emerging areas of research and current strategies to design microbe-targeting prebiotic or probiotic therapeutic intervention strategies to prevent GBS disease in vulnerable populations.

Measuring the Impact of Bedroom Privacy on Social Networks in a Long-Term Care Facility for Hong Kong Older Adults: A Spatio-Social Network Analysis Approach

This study aims to measure the impact of bedroom privacy on residents' social networks in a long-term care (LTC) facility for older adults. Little is known about how the architectural design of bedrooms affects residents' social networks in compact LTC facilities. Five design factors affecting privacy were examined: bedroom occupancy, visual privacy, visibility, bedroom adjacency, and transitional space. We present a spatio-social network analysis approach to analyse the social network structures of 48 residents. Results show that residents with the highest bedroom privacy had comparatively smaller yet stronger groups of network partners in their own bedrooms. Further, residents who lived along short corridors interacted frequently with non-roommates in one another's bedrooms. In contrast, residents who had the least privacy had relatively diverse network partners, however, with weak social ties. Clustering analyses also identified five distinct social clusters among residents of different bedrooms, ranging from diverse to restricted. Multiple regressions showed that these architectural factors are significantly associated with residents' network structures. The findings have methodological implications for the study of physical environment and social networks which are useful for LTC service providers. We argue that our findings could inform current policies to develop LTC facilities aimed at improving residents' well-being.

A peer-led, school-based social network intervention for young people in the UK, promoting sexual health via social media and conversations with friends: intervention development and optimisation of STASH

BACKGROUND

The quality of school-based sex and relationships education (SRE) is variable in the UK. Digitally-based interventions can usefully supplement teacher-delivered lessons and positively impact sexual health knowledge. Designed to address gaps in core SRE knowledge, STASH (Sexually Transmitted infections And Sexual Health) is a peer-led social network intervention adapted from the successful ASSIST (A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial) model, and based on Diffusion of Innovation theory. This paper describes how the STASH intervention was developed and refined.

METHODS

Drawing on the Six Steps in Quality Intervention Development (6SQuID) framework, we tested a provisional programme theory through three iterative stages -: 1) evidence synthesis; 2) intervention co-production; and 3) adaptation - which incorporated evidence review, stakeholder consultation, and website co-development and piloting with young people, sexual health specialists, and educators. Multi-method results were analysed in a matrix of commonalities and differences.

RESULTS

Over 21 months, intervention development comprised 20 activities within the three stages. 1) We identified gaps in SRE provision and online resources (e.g. around sexual consent, pleasure, digital literacy), and confirmed critical components including the core ASSIST peer nomination process, the support of schools, and alignment to the national curriculum. We reviewed candidate social media platforms, ruling out all except Facebook on basis of functionality restrictions which precluded their use for our purposes. 2) Drawing on these findings, as well as relevant behaviour change theories and core elements of the ASSIST model, we co-developed new content with young people and other stakeholders, tailored to sexual health and to delivery via closed Facebook groups, as well as face-to-face conversations. 3) A pilot in one school highlighted practical considerations, including around peer nomination, recruitment, awareness raising, and boundaries to message sharing. From this, a revised STASH intervention and programme theory were co-developed with stakeholders.

CONCLUSIONS

STASH intervention development required extensive adaptation from the ASSIST model. Although labour intensive, our robust co-development approach ensured that an optimised intervention was taken forward for feasibility testing. Evidencing a rigorous approach to operationalising existing intervention development guidance, this paper also highlights the significance of balancing competing stakeholder concerns, resource availability, and an ever-changing landscape for implementation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN97369178.

Ageing in a collective: the impact of ageing individuals on social network structure

Ageing affects many phenotypic traits, but its consequences for social behaviour have only recently become apparent. Social networks emerge from associations between individuals. The changes in sociality that occur as individuals get older are thus likely to impact network structure, yet this remains unstudied. Here we use empirical data from free-ranging rhesus macaques and an agent-based model to test how age-based changes in social behaviour feed up to influence: (i) an individual's level of indirect connectedness in their network and (ii) overall patterns of network structure. Our empirical analyses revealed that female macaques became less indirectly connected as they aged for some, but not for all network measures examined. This suggests that indirect connectivity is affected by ageing, and that ageing animals can remain well integrated in some social contexts. Surprisingly, we did not find evidence for a relationship between age distribution and the structure of female macaque networks. We used an agent-based model to gain further understanding of the link between age-based differences in sociality and global network structure, and under which circumstances global effects may be detectable. Overall, our results suggest a potentially important and underappreciated role of age in the structure and function of animal collectives, which warrants further investigation. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.

Indirect genetic effects for social network structure in Drosophila melanogaster

The position an individual holds in a social network is dependent on both its direct and indirect social interactions. Because social network position is dependent on the actions and interactions of conspecifics, it is likely that the genotypic composition of individuals within a social group impacts individuals' network positions. However, we know very little about whether social network positions have a genetic basis, and even less about how the genotypic makeup of a social group impacts network positions and structure. With ample evidence indicating that network positions influence various fitness metrics, studying how direct and indirect genetic effects shape network positions is crucial for furthering our understanding of how the social environment can respond to selection and evolve. Using replicate genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, we created social groups that varied in their genotypic makeup. Social groups were videoed, and networks were generated using motion-tracking software. We found that both an individual's own genotype and the genotypes of conspecifics in its social group affect its position within a social network. These findings provide an early example of how indirect genetic effects and social network theory can be linked, and shed new light on how quantitative genetic variation shapes the structure of social groups. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.

Social network size and its relationship to domains of quality-of-life among older persons living with HIV

Gerontological research suggests that social network characteristics are key elements of successful aging as they are related to a positive quality-of-life (QoL). Less is known about the social networks of persons aging with HIV. To describe social network characteristics and assess the effect of social network size on QoL, a sample of 146 OPWH (age ≥50) was recruited from an outpatient HIV clinic in Atlanta, GA. Social network size was assessed using Cohen's social network index (SNI). Domains of QoL (physical, emotional, and social) were assessed using the RAND-36. Descriptive analyses were used to determine the frequency of contact within social networks and multivariable regression models were used to assess the relationship between SNI and three domains of QoL controlling for potential covariates. Participants were predominantly male (60%), heterosexual (63%), and African American (86%). Regular contact occurred most frequently with friends (82%) and relatives (77%). Multivariable modeling revealed that SNI explained 58% of the variance in emotional QoL (R2 = 0.58, F(8, 137) =  25.48, p < .001). Findings provide basis for potential interventions focused on the specific social network to improve emotional QoL of this vulnerable population.

Female leaders' social network structures and managerial performance: The moderating effects of promotional orientation and climate for inclusion

Leaders' managerial performance is influenced not only by their attributes and leadership styles but also by their social network structures. This study examines the effect of female leaders' in-degree centrality on their managerial performance and how the relationship is moderated by leaders' regulatory focus and workplace climate for inclusion. Hereby, we used survey data of 340 female leaders working in multinational organizations and managerial performance ratings by their supervisors. Results showed that the leaders' in-degree centrality positively related to their managerial performance and that a high climate for inclusion increases this relationship, whereas female leaders' promotional orientation did not. However, when the climate for inclusion was high, female leaders' promotional orientation positively related to managerial performance. This study reveals that female leaders' feeling of inclusion at a workplace complements their promotional orientation and augments the effect of network structures on managerial performance. Our findings provide new prospects for future studies to examine a leader's managerial performance by incorporating social, relational, and structural contexts. This study contributes to women's leadership and social network literature by explaining the boundary conditions that enhance female leaders' managerial performance.

Rejection-identification and increased use of geosocial networking apps to meet male sexual partners among Black men who have sex with men

Objective: The use of geosocial networking (GSN) apps to meet male sexual partners may contribute to HIV infection risk for Black men who have sex with men (MSM), but the psychosocial underpinnings of this behavior are not understood. In social psychology, the Rejection-Identification Model posits that identification with a socially stigmatized group emerges as a means of coping in response to perceived stigmatization-which can shape behavior. This study tested the Rejection-Identification process as a facilitator of increased use of GSN apps to meet male sexual partners among Black MSM who use these apps. Method: Black MSM (N = 103; M_age = 29.8) reporting a male sexual partner from a GSN app in the past year were recruited nationally from Grindr and Facebook. Participants completed an online survey in which they reported sociodemographic information, measures of racial stigma and Black identity, and characteristics of their past-year male sexual partners. Results: Participants in this sample reported that most of their past-year male partners came from GSN apps (M_percent = 82.3), and results from hypothesis testing showed that greater perceived devaluation of Black people in society (i.e., public racial stigma) was associated with an increased percentage of GSN-met partners. In line with the Rejection-Identification Model, this relationship was mediated by greater Black identity centrality. Conclusions: Findings highlight psychosocial correlates of increased GSN app use to meet male sexual partners among Black MSM, which may place Black MSM at increased risk for HIV infection. Results also point to the possibility that these factors may be harnessed to develop HIV prevention strategies for Black MSM. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Do market pressure and social network affect farmers' adoption of low-carbon fertilization practices? Evidence from China

Excessive applications of agricultural chemical fertilizers contribute to environmental pollution and climate change. Although chemical fertilizers ensure high grain yields, it is crucial to regulate fertilization practices and avoid excessive application to achieve sustainable agricultural development. The overall goal of this study is to examine how market pressure and social network affect farmers' adoption of low-carbon fertilization practice. Data analyses were based on 1255 observations collected from a field survey in Anhui Province of China in 2021. The results showed that 32.1% of farmers had adopted low-carbon fertilization practices. The findings showed that market pressure, including consumption pressure and sales pressure, had positive impacts on the farmers' adoption of low-carbon fertilization practices. Findings also revealed that consumption pressure has a more significant influence on farmers' adoption of low-carbon fertilization practices than sales pressure. Social network has a significant positive influence on the farmers' adoption of low-carbon fertilization practices. Further analysis revealed that organizational network has a more significant influence on farmers' adoption of low-carbon fertilization practices than production networks. Therefore, the government should utilize market pressure and strengthen farmers' social network to improve the adoption rate of low-carbon fertilization practices. The results and policy implications of this study are significant for sustainable agricultural development under climate change in China and other countries.

Triadic influence as a proxy for compatibility in social relationships

Networks of social interactions are the substrate upon which civilizations are built. Often, we create new bonds with people that we like or feel that our relationships are damaged through the intervention of third parties. Despite their importance and the huge impact that these processes have in our lives, quantitative scientific understanding of them is still in its infancy, mainly due to the difficulty of collecting large datasets of social networks including individual attributes. In this work, we present a thorough study of real social networks of 13 schools, with more than 3,000 students and 60,000 declared positive and negative relationships, including tests for personal traits of all the students. We introduce a metric-the "triadic influence"-that measures the influence of nearest neighbors in the relationships of their contacts. We use neural networks to predict the sign of the relationships in these social networks, extracting the probability that two students are friends or enemies depending on their personal attributes or the triadic influence. We alternatively use a high-dimensional embedding of the network structure to also predict the relationships. Remarkably, using the triadic influence (a simple one-dimensional metric) achieves the best accuracy, and adding the personal traits of the students does not improve the results, suggesting that the triadic influence acts as a proxy for the social compatibility of students. We postulate that the probabilities extracted from the neural networks-functions of the triadic influence and the personalities of the students-control the evolution of real social networks, opening an avenue for the quantitative study of these systems.

Social Networks, New Technologies, and Wellbeing-An Interview Study on Factors Influencing Older Adults' Successful Ageing

Many factors are considered vital in supporting successful ageing and older adults' wellbeing. Whilst evidence exists around facilitating and hindering factors in the general use of various forms of institutional and family support and personal development-oriented education and/or new technologies, evidence is limited with regards to older people's motivations, expectations, and experiences surrounding ageing. Hence, in this study, the author used a qualitative explanatory method to interpret the factors influencing seniors' successful ageing. The author's focus was on how seniors experience ageing. The second issue was how they have been organizing life in old age. The third point concerned their expectations towards ageing now and in the future. Thirteen older adults (60+) were interviewed nationwide using a semi-structured scenario tool. Their objective was to give rich descriptions of their experiences of ageing. The interviews revealed the older adults' own experiences and enabled an understanding of their motivations, perceptions, moderators, and expectations around successful ageing. Based on the analysis of the qualitative data, the author developed three main themes, each with its own sub-themes: 1. Life satisfaction (transitioning to retirement, using coping strategies in adaptation to negative changes, reaching personal goals, leading a meaningful life); 2. Supportive environments (being independent but using temporary assistance from relatives and/or people close to oneself, living with family members (e.g., husband or wife, children, grandchildren), having access to health care system); 3. Social integration (social relations, social engagement, independence in using technological advancements). The main categories that emerged from the three themes were social networks, new technologies, and wellbeing. To analyze these issues, the author used a sociological approach. The theoretic explorations were embedded mainly in two methods: criticism of writing and the analytical and comparative one.

Social Network Influences on Adolescent E-cigarette Use

Background: Determine if individual adolescent vaping is associated with the vaping behavior of their school-based friendships; whether that association stems from peer influence or peer selection; and whether it varies by age. Methods: Two wave longitudinal survey of 1,208 students in one Midwestern US school district. Students were asked if they ever vaped and to name their seven closest friends within the school district. A roster of all eligible students was pre-loaded into the survey to facilitate network data collection. Terms for network exposure, the proportion of vaping friends; and selection, the number of new friends who vape, were created. Logistic regression and Stochastic Actor Oriented Models were used to test both influence and selection effects. Results: A cross-sectional logistic regression model indicated that friend vaping was associated with individual vaping (AOR = 4.96, p < 0.01); and lagged logistic models indicated that increased friend vaping was associated with individual vaping initiation (AOR = 1.72, p < 0.05). Selecting new friends who vape was also associated with becoming a vaper (AOR = 1.25, p < 0.01). Both influence and selection were present for those less than 14 years old. Conclusions: This is the first study to use social network analysis to show that adolescents who vape or initiate vaping are more likely to do so if their friends vape, and/or they make new friends who vape. Prevention and cessation programs should address the role of friend influence and selection on e-cigarette use; particularly at younger ages.

Mangrove management in Sri Lanka and stakeholder collaboration: A social network perspective

Understanding the extent of collaboration among stakeholders is key to supporting mangrove management. Despite the existence of robust policies, collaboration among stakeholders of mangrove co-management remains largely unexplored in Sri Lanka. This was partly due to the civil war, natural disasters, and other socio-economic changes over the past 30 years. Our study aimed to identify the collaboration between stakeholders of mangrove management and their perceptions regarding mangrove co-management in Sri Lanka using social network analysis and content analysis. Surveys were conducted in all five coastal provinces of Sri Lanka. Stakeholders included in the study were from government departments, non-governmental organizations, and private institutes. Our results showed that there were differences between coastal provinces in the mangrove management networks, specifically in the number of stakeholders involved and their degree of collaboration. Some important stakeholders (for example the Land Use and Policy Planning Department) were excluded from the social networks in certain provinces (Eastern and Western provinces). There were various issues hampering effective mangrove management such as inefficient communication, inconsistencies between policies, and insufficient financial capacity of government stakeholders responsible for policy implementation. According to the stakeholders in our study, providing mangrove management initiatives with long-term collaboration, post-care, continuous monitoring, and funding may help to overcome these challenges. Additionally, we suggest the establishment of a common platform to coordinate stakeholders. We further encourage increasing the participation of academics, researchers, and students from national universities in the mangrove co-management of Sri Lanka. Insights from this island-wide survey can be adapted to mangrove and other natural resource management trajectories in other countries as well.

Conceptualizing and Operationalizing Collaboration Among Multiple Caregivers of Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

In many families, multiple caregivers support older adults living with dementia. Studying collaboration among caregivers requires consideration of conceptual and methodological issues that have not been fully explored. This study presents a framework for conceptualizing caregiver collaboration and an index that captures variation in collaboration among multiple caregivers within care networks.

METHODS

We used data from the 2015 waves of the National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) to operationalize collaboration among multiple caregivers (N = 1,298) of 552 care recipients (Mage = 83.69, SD = 7.73; 71.6% women; 47.9% possible/probable dementia; 38.9% people of color).

RESULTS

The care collaboration index considered individual and overlapping contributions while controlling for the size of the care network (caregivers in network responding to NSOC survey) and total network size (number of caregivers in network) in the statistical model. Larger care networks enabled more collaboration, both in general and across most types of tasks (βs > 0.38). Collaboration was greater among those caring for a Black or Hispanic care recipient, both in general and for household and medical/health tasks specifically (βs > 0.11). Collaboration was also greater among those caring for recipients with probable dementia, both in general and for most tasks (βs > 0.11) but not transportation-related tasks (p = .219).

DISCUSSION

Results are examined in the context of care network dynamics and proposed mechanisms linking care collaboration to outcomes for caregivers and recipients. Strengths and limitations of our conceptualization and operationalization of collaboration are discussed.

Effectiveness of web-based mindfulness program on college students with social network addiction

AIMS

In this study a web-based mindfulness cultivation program was implemented to investigate its effectiveness on the addiction symptoms and negative emotions of college students with social network addiction.

METHODS

A total of 66 students were recruited and randomly divided into the intervention group or the control group. Participants in the intervention group received a web-based mindfulness cultivation program including the group training and self-cultivating. The primary outcome was addiction level, and the secondary outcome was anxiety, depression and perceived stress. Repeated measures analysis of variance were utilized to analyze the differences between the control and intervention group over the course of the intervention and the follow-up.

RESULTS

There were significant interaction effects on addiction level (F = 39.39, P < .00), anxiety (F = 31.17, P < .00), depression (F = 37.93, P < .00) and perceived stress (F = 22.04, P < .00).

CONCLUSION

A web-based mindfulness cultivation program could improve the addiction level and negative emotions of college students with social network addiction.

Uncertainty Management Strategies in Communication About Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infection, and yet the etiology, treatment, and prevention of UTIs are often clouded by uncertainty. UTIs can cause severe pain and may lead to serious infection, but communication about UTIs can help individuals manage this condition and avoid recurring UTIs. Grounded in uncertainty management theory (UMT), this study explored how individuals with female anatomy manage uncertainty surrounding UTIs. Iterative analysis was employed using UMT to analyze 21 qualitative interviews. Participants used uncertainty management strategies of talking to health care providers, eliciting social support, and using the internet to gather information. Results indicated that talking to heath care providers was a dominant strategy intended to reduce uncertainty about the diagnosis and treatment of their symptoms. However, these interactions inadvertently increased uncertainty as well, as providers did not provide information about the causes and prevention of UTIs. Some participants also engaged in deception to reduce uncertainty about how their providers would respond to their pain and their illness. Finally, participants employed metaphors to interpret and neutralize uncertainty related to their experiences. Implications for these findings include guidelines and support for patient and provider communication, communication in social networks, as well as deeper nuances and development for UMT.

The effect of peer education compared to education provided by healthcare providers on premenstrual syndrome in high school students: A social network-based quasi-experimental controlled trial

AIM

This study aimed to compare the effect of peer education and education provided by healthcare providers on PMS in high school students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This quasi-experimental non-randomized controlled trial with a three-armed parallel design was performed on 90 students allocated in three groups, namely, education by peer (intervention group 1 = 30), education by a healthcare provider (intervention group 2 = 30), and a control group (n = 30). The primary outcome was a change in the score of PMS, and the secondary outcomes were changes in the general health score and the frequency of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Education about PMS management was held in WhatsApp messenger in six sessions (two sessions per week) for both intervention groups. All three groups received routine school counseling. The researchers applied repeated-measures ANCOVA, McNemar, and post-hoc Bonferroni tests.

RESULTS

Education in intervention group 1 (Partial Eta Squared = 0.67, p < 0.0001) and intervention group 2 (Partial Eta Squared = 0.82, p < 0.0001) significantly reduced the PMS score compared to the control group. In addition, the change in general health score in the intervention groups compared to the control group showed the effectiveness of the intervention (p < 0.001). Education did not significantly reduce PMDD frequency in the intervention groups compared to the control group (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests education by peers and healthcare providers effects on PMS and general health in adolescents. It suggested that the effectiveness of these approaches be investigated in other adolescents' health conditions.

Social Network Diversity and Mental Health Among Mothers of Individuals With Autism

The present study examined the associations between networks of social relationships and psychological well-being among mothers of adolescents and adults with autism (n = 352) over a 12-year period of time. A structural equation modeling approach was used to delineate the relative impacts of network size and relationship diversity on maternal mental health, and to assess whether such effects are bidirectional. Mothers with more diverse relationships experienced reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms over time, and the psychological benefits of diversity remained after adjusting for network size. Results also suggest bidirectional links between network size, diversity, and maternal mental health. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Daily drinking and social network interactions in network support treatment

OBJECTIVE

Social networks can be powerful determinants of drinking. Network Support (NS) treatment was designed to help persons with alcohol use disorder alter their social network to be more supportive of abstinence and less supportive of drinking. The present study was intended to determine how NS treatment altered behavior on a daily basis. It was expected that, relative to those treated in a packaged cognitive-behavioral treatment (PCBT), NS patients would report fewer daily contacts with drinking persons and increased contacts with nondrinking persons.

METHOD

Patients (N = 193) treated in our second NS trial provided daily recordings of drinks consumed, urge to drink, and self-efficacy for not drinking, as well as reports of associations with drinking and nondrinking friends, via an interactive voice response system. Daily recordings (N = 146) were collected during the first 6 months of the 27-month study. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze daily network variables over time by treatment. Time-varying effect model (TVEM) analyses were also conducted to assess the influence of daily-varying social contacts on daily drinking, drinking urges, and self-efficacy.

RESULTS

Consistent with hypotheses, NS patients reported significantly less daily drinking associated with contacts with drinkers than did PCBT patients. Patients in both treatments reported increases in self-efficacy and decreases in urges to drink over days as a function of contact with nondrinkers.

CONCLUSIONS

NS treatment was successful in helping patients change their social networks, as well as their responses to social influences, and those changes had effects on day-to-day drinking levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).