Somebody to Lean On: Community Ties, Social Exchange, and Practical Help during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Horak M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10034562 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundeHealth literacy is defined as the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem. Previous research has shown high reliance on both online and face-to-face interpersonal sources when sharing and receiving health information.ObjectiveIn this paper, we examine these interpersonal sources and their interplay with respondents' eHealth literacy and perceived health outcomes. Specifically, we look at how the relationship between eHealth literacy and health outcomes is moderated by (1) finding help while performing online activities, (2) finding others with similar health concerns online, and (3) the importance of finding others with similar health concerns for people from ethnic minorities, specifically Palestinian citizens of Israel versus Israeli Jews.MethodsWe used a nationally representative random-digit dial telephone household survey of an Israeli adult population (age ≥21 years, N=819). The collected data were analyzed using two regression models. The first examined how the correlation between eHealth literacy and perceived outcomes was moderated by the availability of help. The second examined how the correlation between eHealth literacy and perceived outcomes was moderated by finding others with similar health concerns and by ethnicity.ResultsRespondents with low eHealth literacy who were able to recruit help when performing online activities demonstrated higher perceived health outcomes compared to similar respondents who did not find help. Respondents with low eHealth literacy, who were able to find others with similar health concerns (online), demonstrated higher perceived health outcomes when compared to similar respondents who did not find others with similar health concerns. Finally, finding similar others online was more helpful in enhancing health outcomes for ethnic minorities; Palestinian citizens of Israel gained more health benefits by finding similar others compared to Israeli Jews.ConclusionsAlthough the availability of help and the notion of ethnicity have been discussed extensively within the context of social capital and health, our findings offer initial evidence for the relevancy of these concepts when studying individuals' eHealth literacy. Specifically, our findings enable a better understanding of the role of social ties and ethnicity in moderating the interplay between eHealth literacy and perceived health outcomes. Given the increased importance of eHealth information, our findings enhance understanding of how social ties can potentially compensate for low eHealth literacy.
| S-EPMC5391437 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The study contributes to the understanding of the societal impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the Global South by examining longer term implications of pandemic-induced disruptions and deprivations for social ties and psychosocial well-being. Using data from a survey of middle-aged women in rural Mozambique, the author finds a negative association between the pandemic-triggered household economic decline and perceived changes in the quality of relations with marital partners, non-coresident children, and relatives, but not with generally more distant actors, such as coreligionists and neighbors. In turn, multivariable analyses detect a positive association of changes in the quality of family and kin ties with participants' life satisfaction, regardless of other factors. Yet women's expectations for changes in their household living conditions in the near future show a significant association only with changes in the quality of relations with marital partners. The author situates these findings within the context of women's enduring vulnerabilities in low-income patriarchal settings.
| S-EPMC10201067 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A diverse portfolio of social relationships matters for people's wellbeing, including both strong, secure relationships with others ('close ties') and casual interactions with acquaintances and strangers ('weak ties'). Almost all of autism research has focused on Autistic people's close ties with friends, family and intimate partners, resulting in a radically constrained understanding of Autistic sociality. Here, we sought to understand the potential power of weak-tie interactions by drawing on 95 semi-structured interviews with Autistic young people and adults conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analysed the qualitative data using reflexive thematic analysis within an essentialist framework. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Autistic people deeply missed not only their close personal relationships but also their "incidental social contact" with acquaintances and strangers. These weak-tie interactions appear to serve similar functions for Autistic people as they do for non-autistic people, including promoting wellbeing. These findings have important implications both for future research into Autistic sociality and for the design of practical services and supports to enhance Autistic people's opportunities to flourish.
| S-EPMC11883032 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In his seminal work, Mark Granovetter (1973) challenged sociologists to test sociometric hypotheses regarding collective action in communitarian settings. In this article, we tested the two main hypotheses which consider social cohesion in communitarian urban settings-these being firstly cohesion by weak ties and secondly cohesion by multiplex ties. We studied the elite leaders of two slum communities of Belo Horizonte (Brazil). Three social processes were examined as multiplex interactions: recognized status, exchange of useful information and collaboration. Our findings reveal, on the one hand, that multiplexity is associated with the frequency of ties and, on the other, that reciprocity and shared domains of performance fuel such strong multiplexity. If we assume that elite connections conform to a high order structure, our findings, in contrast to previously well-established hypotheses, reveal a segmented social order in which multiplexity does not mean the overlapping of social circles. On the contrary, multiplexed social exchanges are restricted to specialized domains.
| S-EPMC8475979 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We investigate why some communities experience worse COVID-19 outcomes than others. Past studies have linked the resilience of communities against crisis to social vulnerability and the capacity of local governments to provide public goods and services like health care. Disaster studies, which frequently examine the effect of social ties and mobility, may better help illuminate the current spread of COVID-19. We analyze Japan's 47 prefectures from February 12 to August 31 using 62,722 individual confirmed cases of COVID-19, paired with daily tallies of aggregate Facebook user movement among neighborhoods. Controlling for mobility levels, health care systems, government finance, gender balance, age, income, and education levels of communities, our analysis indicates that areas with strong linking social ties see no or far lower levels of COVID-19 case rates initially. However, case fatality rates rise in such communities once the disease enters as they lack horizontal (bonding) ties which can mitigate its health impacts. We anticipate this study to be a starting point for broader studies of how social ties and mobility influence COVID-19 outcomes worldwide along with shining a light on how different types of social relationships play different roles as a crisis or disaster progresses.
| S-EPMC7811012 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesSocial relationships are important for older adults' well-being, including those who live in assisted living (AL) communities. This study explores coresident networks within an AL community and identifies factors associated with residents' social ties.MethodsAcquaintance and companionship networks within the community are described using cross-sectional survey data (N = 38). We use inferential network statistical methods to estimate parameters for factors associated with residents' acquaintance and companionship ties.ResultsResidents reported an average of 10 acquaintances and almost 4 companionships with other residents in the sample. The likelihood a resident had an acquaintance was associated with higher levels of cognitive functioning (p < .05), higher levels of physical limitations (p < .01), living in the AL community for a longer time (p < .01), and less frequent contact with outside family and friends (p < .05). Acquaintances were more likely between residents who moved in around the same time as each other (p < .01), lived on the same floor (p < .001), or had similar levels of physical limitations (p < .05). Companionships were more likely to be reported by male residents (p < .05) and residents with higher levels of cognitive functioning (p < .05) or depressive symptoms (p < .05). Longtime residents were more popular as companions (p < .01). Companionships were more likely between residents who lived on the same floor (p < .001) or were similar in age (p < .01).DiscussionThis research contributes to the literature of older adults' nonkin social relationships by providing detailed descriptions of the acquaintance and companionship networks within an AL community, quantifying correlates of residents' social ties, and distinguishing between acquaintances and companions.
| S-EPMC8499388 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Studies using massive, passively collected data from communication technologies have revealed many ubiquitous aspects of social networks, helping us understand and model social media, information diffusion and organizational dynamics. More recently, these data have come tagged with geographical information, enabling studies of human mobility patterns and the science of cities. We combine these two pursuits and uncover reproducible mobility patterns among social contacts. First, we introduce measures of mobility similarity and predictability and measure them for populations of users in three large urban areas. We find individuals' visitations patterns are far more similar to and predictable by social contacts than strangers and that these measures are positively correlated with tie strength. Unsupervised clustering of hourly variations in mobility similarity identifies three categories of social ties and suggests geography is an important feature to contextualize social relationships. We find that the composition of a user's ego network in terms of the type of contacts they keep is correlated with mobility behaviour. Finally, we extend a popular mobility model to include movement choices based on social contacts and compare its ability to reproduce empirical measurements with two additional models of mobility.
| S-EPMC4387518 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Contact restrictions and distancing measures are among the most effective non-pharmaceutical measures to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus. Yet, research has only begun to understand the wider social consequences of these interventions. This study investigates how individuals' social networks have changed since the outbreak of the pandemic and how this is related to individuals' socio-economic positions and their socio-demographic characteristics. Based on a large quota sample of the German adult population, we investigate the loss and gain of strong and weak social ties during the pandemic. While about one third of respondents reported losing of contact with acquaintances, every fourth person has lost contact to a friend. Forming new social ties occurs less frequently. Only 10-15% report having made new acquaintances (15%) or friends (10%) during the pandemic. Overall, more than half of our respondents did not report any change, however. Changes in social networks are linked to both socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, such as age, gender, education, and migration background, providing key insights into a yet underexplored dimension of pandemic-related social inequality.
| S-EPMC9226385 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundEffective strategies of prevention have been and can aid in reducing and overcoming contagious diseases including COVID-19, still there is dearth of knowledge regarding general public awareness and perception. The current study aims to determine the existing knowledge and perception of people living in Karachi about isolation, quarantine, social distancing and community containment.MethodsThis cross-sectional online survey was conducted during the months of March and April 2020. The study included men and women of age 18 years and above quarantined during COVID-19. Convenience sampling followed by snowball sampling technique was used. An online structured questionnaire was developed using Google Form. It included questions on socio demographic information, public knowledge and perception about isolation, quarantine, social distancing and community containment. Chi-square test was used for categorical variables and p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsA total of 548 participants were involved in this survey, 34% (n = 184) males with a mean age of 28 ± 10 years ranging from 18 to 75 years. The major source of hearing about COVID-19 was social media (72%, n = 393). Overall knowledge scores revealed that 27% (n = 146) participants had excellent knowledge about symptoms and prevention of the COVID-19. Excellent knowledge of quarantining, isolation and community containment and social distancing was 38% among participants. Participants who had good and excellent knowledge were more likely to have positive perception of isolation (p-value < 0.001). Majority participants (89%, n = 487) felt isolation may or may not be against human rights and this perception was found significantly associated with moderate to excellent knowledge about community mitigation measures (p-value = 0.009).ConclusionThis study concludes that optimal public knowledge and perception related to certain aspects of isolation, quarantine, social distancing and community containment exists however knowledge gaps and misperceptions prevail that need to be addressed.
| S-EPMC8931453 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In many data sets, information on the structure and temporality of a system coexists with noise and non-essential elements. In networked systems for instance, some edges might be non-essential or exist only by chance. Filtering them out and extracting a set of relevant connections is a non-trivial task. Moreover, mehods put forward until now do not deal with time-resolved network data, which have become increasingly available. Here we develop a method for filtering temporal network data, by defining an adequate temporal null model that allows us to identify pairs of nodes having more interactions than expected given their activities: the significant ties. Moreover, our method can assign a significance to complex structures such as triads of simultaneous interactions, an impossible task for methods based on static representations. Our results hint at ways to represent temporal networks for use in data-driven models.
| S-EPMC6333776 | biostudies-literature