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Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of... Sep 2001It is generally agreed that social ties play a beneficial role in the maintenance of psychological well-being. In this targeted review, we highlight four sets of... (Review)
Review
It is generally agreed that social ties play a beneficial role in the maintenance of psychological well-being. In this targeted review, we highlight four sets of insights that emerge from the literature on social ties and mental health outcomes (defined as stress reactions, psychological well-being, and psychological distress, including depressive symptoms and anxiety). First, the pathways by which social networks and social supports influence mental health can be described by two alternative (although not mutually exclusive) causal models-the main effect model and the stress-buffering model. Second, the protective effects of social ties on mental health are not uniform across groups in society. Gender differences in support derived from social network participation may partly account for the higher prevalence of psychological distress among women compared to men. Social connections may paradoxically increase levels of mental illness symptoms among women with low resources, especially if such connections entail role strain associated with obligations to provide social support to others. Third, egocentric networks are nested within a broader structure of social relationships. The notion of social capital embraces the embeddedness of individual social ties within the broader social structure. Fourth, despite some successes reported in social support interventions to enhance mental health, further work is needed to deepen our understanding of the design, timing, and dose of interventions that work, as well as the characteristics of individuals who benefit the most.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Anxiety; Child; Cognition Disorders; Depression; Ego; Female; Humans; Life Style; Male; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Models, Psychological; Prevalence; Sex Distribution; Social Support; Socioeconomic Factors; Sociometric Techniques; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 11564849
DOI: 10.1093/jurban/78.3.458 -
Gerontology 2021Older adults often have a greater need for health information and health care services because access to these helps them manage their health and the chronic conditions... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Older adults often have a greater need for health information and health care services because access to these helps them manage their health and the chronic conditions of aging. Therefore, low health literacy bears a special significance for the population of older adults.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an active learning program on health literacy, lifestyle behaviors, physical function, and mental health among community-dwelling older adults with low health literacy.
METHODS
This single-blind, randomized controlled trial involved 60 participants aged ≥65 years with a low health literacy who were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 30) or control (n = 30) group. Across 24 weeks, the intervention group attended weekly 90-min active learning program sessions, which involved exploratory learning, group work, and the self-planning of behavior changes that promote a healthy lifestyle. The control group attended a 90-min class, which was taught in accordance with the didactic teaching method. For both groups, the programs focused on the role of exercise, diet/nutrition, and cognitive activity for promoting health among older adults. The outcome measures were administered at baseline and week 24. Comprehensive health literacy (i.e., primary outcome) was assessed using the Health Literacy Scale-14. Lifestyle factors (i.e., physical activity, dietary variety, life-space mobility, and social network size), physical function, and depressive symptoms were measured. We used a linear mixed model to estimate the intervention effects in accordance with the intention-to-treat approach.
RESULTS
When compared to the control group, the intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in communicative health literacy, step count, engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, dietary variety, life-space mobility, social network size, grip strength, gait speed, and depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
The active learning program can promote a healthy lifestyle and prevent functional decline among older adults who lack the confidence to engage in health communication.
Topics: Aged; Aging; Cognition; Diet Therapy; Exercise; Female; Health Literacy; Health Promotion; Healthy Lifestyle; Humans; Independent Living; Male; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Physical Functional Performance; Problem-Based Learning; Single-Blind Method; Social Network Analysis
PubMed: 33271536
DOI: 10.1159/000511357 -
PloS One 2023Sociometric or whole network analysis, a method used to analyze relational patterns among social actors, emphasizes the role of social structure in shaping behaviour.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Sociometric or whole network analysis, a method used to analyze relational patterns among social actors, emphasizes the role of social structure in shaping behaviour. Such method has been applied to many aspects of illicit drug research, including in the areas of public health, epidemiology, and criminology. Previous reviews about social networks and drugs have lacked a focus on the use of sociometric network analysis for illicit drugs research across disciplines. The current scoping review aimed to provide an overview of the sociometric network analysis methods used in illicit drugs research and to assess how such methods could be used for future research.
METHODS
A systematic search of six databases (Web of Science, ProQuest Sociology Collection, Political Science Complete, PubMed, Criminal Justice Abstracts, and PsycINFO) returned 72 relevant studies that met the inclusion criteria. To be included, studies had to mention illicit drugs and use whole social network analysis as one of their methods. Studies were summarized quantitatively and qualitatively using a data-charting form and a description of the studies' main topics.
RESULTS
Sociometric network analysis in illicit drugs research has grown in popularity in the last decade, using mostly descriptive network metrics, such as degree centrality (72.2%) and density (44.4%). Studies were found to belong to three study domains. The first, drug crimes investigated network resilience and collaboration patterns in drug trafficking networks. The second domain, public health, focused on the social networks and social support of people who use drugs. Finally, the third domain focused on the collaboration networks of policy, law enforcement, and service providers.
CONCLUSION
Future illicit drugs research using whole network SNA should include more diverse data sources and samples, incorporate mixed and qualitative methods, and apply social network analysis to study drug policy.
Topics: Humans; Sociometric Techniques; Sociology; Benchmarking; Illicit Drugs; Public Policy
PubMed: 36848370
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282340 -
BMC Research Notes Aug 2023A single valued neutrosophic set represented the uncertainty of real life situations in terms of membership [Formula: see text], indeterminacy [Formula: see text] and...
OBJECTIVE
A single valued neutrosophic set represented the uncertainty of real life situations in terms of membership [Formula: see text], indeterminacy [Formula: see text] and non-membership [Formula: see text] degree. However, this uncertainty cannot be limited to those three degrees; there is also an additional refusal degree. For this issue, the Turiyam set is an appropriate tool, which described the neutrosophic refusal degree of this situation as a liberal [Formula: see text] degree in addition to those three degrees. The graphical representation of this situation is required for knowledge processing. For this purpose, the Turiyam graph was introduced as an extension of the single valued neutrosophic graph. This graph is helpful when the depictions of the vertices or their relationships or both, are considered in terms of membership [Formula: see text], indeterminacy [Formula: see text], non-membership [Formula: see text] and liberal [Formula: see text] degrees. The goal of this paper is to introduce the degree, order and size in the context of Turiyam graphs and examine a social network (SN) with the help of this graph.
RESULTS
In this regard, the degree, order and size in the context of Turiyam graphs are studied. The feasibility of this Turiyam graph is shown by employing its concept in a social network (SN). Finally, the advantage of the Turiyam graph over the existing graph theories is recognized by viewing its better framework.
Topics: Social Network Analysis; Uncertainty
PubMed: 37580772
DOI: 10.1186/s13104-023-06435-7 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jan 2021Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities account for a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases and fatalities worldwide. Outbreaks in US nursing homes have...
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities account for a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases and fatalities worldwide. Outbreaks in US nursing homes have persisted despite nationwide visitor restrictions beginning in mid-March. An early report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified staff members working in multiple nursing homes as a likely source of spread from the Life Care Center in Kirkland, WA, to other skilled nursing facilities. The full extent of staff connections between nursing homes-and the role these connections serve in spreading a highly contagious respiratory infection-is currently unknown given the lack of centralized data on cross-facility employment. We perform a large-scale analysis of nursing home connections via shared staff and contractors using device-level geolocation data from 50 million smartphones, and find that 5.1% of smartphone users who visited a nursing home for at least 1 h also visited another facility during our 11-wk study period-even after visitor restrictions were imposed. We construct network measures of connectedness and estimate that nursing homes, on average, share connections with 7.1 other facilities. Traditional federal regulatory metrics of nursing home quality are unimportant in predicting outbreaks, consistent with recent research. Controlling for demographic and other factors, a home's staff network connections and its centrality within the greater network strongly predict COVID-19 cases.
Topics: COVID-19; Disease Outbreaks; Female; Humans; Male; Nursing Homes; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Skilled Nursing Facilities; Smartphone; Social Network Analysis; Social Networking
PubMed: 33323526
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015455118 -
Schizophrenia Bulletin Jan 2022Psychotic and autistic symptoms are related to social functioning in individuals with psychotic disorders (PD). The present study used a network approach to (1) evaluate...
Psychotic and autistic symptoms are related to social functioning in individuals with psychotic disorders (PD). The present study used a network approach to (1) evaluate the interactions between autistic symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and social functioning, and (2) investigate whether relations are similar in individuals with and without PD. We estimated an undirected network model in a sample of 504 PD, 572 familial risk for psychosis (FR), and 337 typical comparisons (TC), with a mean age of 34.9 years. Symptoms were assessed with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ; 5 nodes) and the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE; 9 nodes). Social functioning was measured with the Social Functioning Scale (SFS; 7 nodes). We identified statistically significant differences between the FR and PD samples in global strength (P < .001) and network structure (P < .001). Our results show autistic symptoms (social interaction nodes) are negatively and more closely related to social functioning (withdrawal, interpersonal behavior) than psychotic symptoms. More and stronger connections between nodes were observed for the PD network than for FR and TC networks, while the latter 2 were similar in density (P = .11) and network structure (P = .19). The most central items in strength for PD were bizarre experiences, social skills, and paranoia. In conclusion, specific autistic symptoms are negatively associated with social functioning across the psychosis spectrum, but in the PD network symptoms may reinforce each other more easily. These findings emphasize the need for increased clinical awareness of comorbid autistic symptoms in psychotic individuals.
Topics: Adult; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychosocial Functioning; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia; Social Interaction; Social Network Analysis; Social Skills; Young Adult
PubMed: 34313767
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab084 -
Social Cognitive and Affective... Aug 2021Although social neuroscience is concerned with understanding how the brain interacts with its social environment, prevailing research in the field has primarily...
Although social neuroscience is concerned with understanding how the brain interacts with its social environment, prevailing research in the field has primarily considered the human brain in isolation, deprived of its rich social context. Emerging work in social neuroscience that leverages tools from network analysis has begun to advance knowledge of how the human brain influences and is influenced by the structures of its social environment. In this paper, we provide an overview of key theory and methods in network analysis (especially for social systems) as an introduction for social neuroscientists who are interested in relating individual cognition to the structures of an individual's social environments. We also highlight some exciting new work as examples of how to productively use these tools to investigate questions of relevance to social neuroscientists. We include tutorials to help with practical implementations of the concepts that we discuss. We conclude by highlighting a broad range of exciting research opportunities for social neuroscientists who are interested in using network analysis to study social systems.
Topics: Brain; Cognition; Humans; Social Environment; Social Network Analysis
PubMed: 32415969
DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa069 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2020The acceptance or rejection of classmates is one of the most widely recognized determinants of wellbeing in childhood. This study analyses psychosocial adjustment and...
The acceptance or rejection of classmates is one of the most widely recognized determinants of wellbeing in childhood. This study analyses psychosocial adjustment and sociometric status in primary education pupils, and possible differences by gender. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in Huelva (Spain). The surveyed schools were selected using a stratified random sampling technique with both public and private elementary schools. Sample was composed of 247 4th grade students. Data revealed gender differences in psychosocial adjustment, particularly in terms of prosocial behavior in girls and behavioral problems in boys. Popular and rejected statuses presented opposing adjustment profiles, particularly in hyperactive symptoms and behavioral problems. When the sample was separated by gender, the differences between the types of status in emotional symptomatology and prosocial behavior disappeared. In addition, the differences between statuses were greater in boys, and were defined mainly by hyperactivity, whilst for girls these differences were more apparent in behavioral problems.
PubMed: 33363499
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.607274 -
Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences Mar 2022Phase-contrast imaging (PCI) is a novel technology that can visualise variations in X-ray refraction (phase contrast) in addition to differences in X-ray attenuation... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Phase-contrast imaging (PCI) is a novel technology that can visualise variations in X-ray refraction (phase contrast) in addition to differences in X-ray attenuation (absorption contrast). Compared to radiography using conventional methods (i.e. absorption-based imaging), PCI techniques can potentially produce images with higher contrast-to-noise ratio and superior spatial resolution at the same or lower radiation doses. This has led PCI to be explored for implementation in medical imaging. While interest in this research field is increasing, the whole body of PCI research in medical imaging has been under-investigated. This paper provides an overview of PCI literature and then focusses on evaluating its development within the scope of medical imaging.
METHODS
Bibliographic data between 1995 and 2018 were used to visualise collaboration networks between countries, institutions and authors. Social network analysis techniques were implemented to measure these networks in terms of centrality and cohesion. These techniques also assisted in the exploration of underlying research paradigms of clinical X-ray PCI investigations.
RESULTS
Forty-one countries, 592 institutions and 2073 authors contributed 796 investigations towards clinical PCI research. The most influential contributors and network collaboration characteristics were identified. Italy was the most influential country, with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility being the most influential institution. At an author level, F. Pfeiffer was found to be the most influential researcher. Among various PCI techniques, grating interferometry was the most investigated, while computed tomography was the most frequently examined modality.
CONCLUSIONS
By gaining an understanding of collaborations and trends within clinical X-ray PCI research, the links between existing collaborators were identified, which can aid future collaborations between emerging and established collaborators. Moreover, exploring the paradigm of past investigations can shape future research - well-researched PCI techniques may be studied to bring X-ray PCI closer to clinical implementation, or the potential of seldom-investigated techniques may be explored.
Topics: Bibliometrics; Radiography; Social Network Analysis; Synchrotrons; X-Rays
PubMed: 34383367
DOI: 10.1002/jmrs.536 -
BMC Medical Education Jun 2021Analyzing the previous research literature in the field of clinical teaching has potential to show the trend and future direction of this field. This study aimed to...
BACKGROUND
Analyzing the previous research literature in the field of clinical teaching has potential to show the trend and future direction of this field. This study aimed to visualize the co-authorship networks and scientific map of research outputs of clinical teaching and medical education by Social Network Analysis (SNA).
METHODS
We Identified 1229 publications on clinical teaching through a systematic search strategy in the Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) and Medline (NCBI/NLM) through PubMed from the year 1980 to 2018.The Ravar PreMap, Netdraw, UCINet and VOSviewer software were used for data visualization and analysis.
RESULTS
Based on the findings of study the network of clinical teaching was weak in term of cohesion and the density in the co-authorship networks of authors (clustering coefficient (CC): 0.749, density: 0.0238) and collaboration of countries (CC: 0.655, density: 0.176). In regard to centrality measures; the most influential authors in the co-authorship network was Rosenbaum ME, from the USA (0.048). More, the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands have central role in collaboration countries network and has the vertex co-authorship with other that participated in publishing articles in clinical teaching. Analysis of background and affiliation of authors showed that co-authorship between clinical researchers in medicine filed is weak. Nineteen subject clusters were identified in the clinical teaching research network, seven of which were related to the expected competencies of clinical teaching and three related to clinical teaching skills.
CONCLUSIONS
In order to improve the cohesion of the authorship network of clinical teaching, it is essential to improve research collaboration and co-authorship between new researchers and those who have better closeness or geodisk path with others, especially those with the clinical background. To reach to a dense and powerful topology in the knowledge network of this field encouraging policies to be made for international and national collaboration between clinicians and clinical teaching specialists. In addition, humanitarian and clinical reasoning need to be considered in clinical teaching as of new direction in the field from thematic aspects.
Topics: Australia; Authorship; Canada; Humans; Netherlands; Social Network Analysis
PubMed: 34134681
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-021-02643-6