Social Networks, Delinquency, and Gang Membership: Using a Neighborhood Framework to Examine the Influence of Network Composition and Structure in a Latino Community

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina G. Roman ◽  
Meagan Cahill ◽  
Pamela Lachman ◽  
Samantha Lowry ◽  
Carlena Orosco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Gang Membership ◽  
Latino Community ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Network Composition

scholarly journals Changes in Personal Social Networks across Individuals Leaving Their Street Gang: Just What Are Youth Leaving Behind?

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Caterina G. Roman ◽  
Meagan Cahill ◽  
Lauren R. Mayes
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gang Membership ◽  
Street Gang ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Crime Desistance ◽  
Network Composition ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
Over Time

Despite a small but growing literature on gang disengagement and desistance, little is known about how social networks and changes in networks correspond to self-reported changes in street gang membership over time. The current study describes the personal or “ego” network composition of 228 street gang members in two east coast cities in the United States. The study highlights changes in personal network composition associated with changes in gang membership over two waves of survey data, describing notable differences between those who reported leaving their gang and fully disengaging from their gang associates, and those who reported leaving but still participate and hang out with their gang friends. Results show some positive changes (i.e., reductions) in criminal behavior and many changes toward an increase in prosocial relationships for those who fully disengaged from their street gang, versus limited changes in both criminal behavior and network composition over time for those who reported leaving but remained engaged with their gang. The findings suggest that gang intervention programs that increase access to or support building prosocial relationships may assist the gang disengagement process and ultimately buoy desistance from crime. The study also has implications for theorizing about gang and crime desistance, in that the role of social ties should take a more central role.

scholarly journals Hypothetical versus actual support providers in comparative network research

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Hlebec ◽  
Tina Kogovšek
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Complete Evaluation ◽  
Support Providers ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Informal Social Networks ◽  
Network Composition ◽  
Life Distributions

Informal social networks are the most important source of social support, which is an essential foundation for the quality of everyday life. Distributions of various types of social networks have to be studied from a comparative perspective to evaluate the effects of the change in political, social and economic systems in Slovenia on social network composition and structure. Data from two studies are compared: one made before (1987) and one after the transition (2002) on representative samples of adult residents of Slovenia. In the paper the ability of informal social networks to provide an adequate sources of social support is discussed as the substantive part of this research. The effects of characteristics of the measurement instruments (hypothetical versus actual support providers) on obtained estimates of network composition are presented and evaluated. The advantages and disadvantages of the relationship approach to measuring personal networks are discussed with regard to complete evaluation of network membership.

scholarly journals EXPANDING SOCIAL TIES AS A GOAL IN LATER LIFE: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL NETWORK CHARACTERISTICS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S175-S175
Author(s):  
Danielle Oleskiewicz ◽  
Karen Rook
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Provision ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Network Composition

Abstract Older adults often winnow their social ties to focus on emotionally rewarding ties (Charles & Carstensen, 2010). Some older adults, however, have small social networks that preclude much winnowing or aversive social ties from which disengagement is difficult. These individuals might be motivated to expand, rather than contract, their social ties. The current study sought to extend knowledge regarding potential links between social network characteristics and older adults’ interest, effort, and success in creating new social ties. We expected that small social networks and negative social ties might motivate interest and effort directed toward forming new social ties but that positive social ties might foster success in efforts to form new ties. In-person interviews were conducted with participants (N = 351, Mean age = 74.16) in a larger study of older adults’ social networks and well-being. The interviews assessed participants’ social networks, as well as their interest, effort, and success in making new social ties. Participants’ social network composition, rather than size, was associated with greater motivation to establish new social ties. Negative social ties were associated with greater interest and effort directed toward forming new social ties. Positive social ties were related to greater success (due, in part, to their support provision) and, unexpectedly, were also related to greater interest and effort directed toward forming new ties. Older adults sometimes seek to expand, rather than contract, their social ties, and characteristics of their social networks appear to play a role in fueling and influencing the success of such efforts.

scholarly journals The effect of early career social capital on long-term income development in Finland

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 1373-1390
Author(s):  
Tomi Oinas ◽  
Petri Ruuskanen ◽  
Mari Hakala ◽  
Timo Anttila
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Register Data ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Income Development ◽  
Network Composition

PurposeIn this study, the authors examine whether social capital embedded in individuals' social networks is connected to employees' long-term income development in Finland.Design/methodology/approachAnalyses are based on 25–35-year-old employees from the Finnish Living Conditions Survey of 1994 combined with register data on earned incomes from 1995 to 2016. The authors used questions addressing the frequency of meeting parents or siblings, spending free time with co-workers and participation in associational, civic or other societal activities as measures of the extent of network capital. Ordered logistic model was used to examine whether the size and composition of social networks differ by gender and socio-economic status. Linear growth curve models were employed to estimate the effect of social capital on long-term income development.FindingsResults indicate minor differences in network composition according to gender, but large differences between socio-economic groups. The authors found that income development was faster for those who participated in civic activities occasionally or who met their relatives or co-workers on a monthly basis, that is, for the “middle group”.Research limitations/implicationsResults are generalizable only to Finnish or Nordic welfare state context. The authors’ measures of social capital come from cross-sectional survey. Thus, the authors are not able to address the stability or accumulation of social capital during life course. This restriction will probably cause the authors’ analysis to underestimate the true effect of social capital on earned incomes.Practical implicationsModerate-level investments to network capital seem to be the most beneficial with regard to the long-term income development.Social implicationsThe study results give support to the idea that social capital can be transformed into economic capital. The results also imply that in economic terms it is important to balance diverse forms of social capital. At the policy level, a special emphasis should be directed to employees with low-socio-economic position. These people are especially vulnerable as their low level of income is combined with network composition that hinders their further income development.Originality/valueThe combined survey and register data give unique insight on how the social capital embedded in individuals' social networks is connected with long-term income development.

Wired to Connect: Evolutionary Psychology and Social Networks

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin S. Crosier ◽  
Gregory D. Webster ◽  
Haley M. Dillon
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Network Ties ◽  
Online Networks ◽  
Hollywood Film ◽  
Network Composition ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evolutionary Foundation

Social networks dominate modern life. Social networks have always existed and have been around in nonelectronic forms throughout the entirety of our species' history. It is only recently that the Internet has provided a venue for their electronic explosion. From a nonexistent phenomenon to an incessantly repeated buzzword that permeates the media and is the topic of a major Hollywood film, electronic social networks experience such success because human social behavior has been naturally selected to interface in such a way. Genes and culture relentlessly encourage sociality, and network structure is the grand output of countless interactions in which we engage, from winks to weddings. With the advent of technology that promotes these connections, our innate propensity to connect at a large scale is changing the way we live. From mundane communication to meeting the love of one's life to inciting political revolutions, network ties are the conduits by which information and resources are spread. Understanding the patterns and more importantly the “whys” of human connectedness can greatly impact quality of life for the better. The present article reviews the extant literature of social networks and social network analysis proper, the evolutionary foundation of social networks, the proposed psychological antecedents of network composition, the transition from traditional to online networks and how the two modes differ, the impact of social networks on popular culture, and the future of social networks.

scholarly journals Effects of limitation of number of alters and time frame in the Burt name generator

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Kogovšek ◽  
Valentina Hlebec
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Question Wording ◽  
Statistical Estimates ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Network Composition

Social networks can be operationalized as potential and actual sources of social support. Comparing cross-sectional data sets from various points in time allows us to compare overall characteristics of social support networks and their changes over time in the population. However, the measurement instruments should be identical or at least very similar. The Burt name generator (1984) for assessing discussion networks of Slovenians was applied in the 1987 and 2002 surveys. Data were collected on representative samples of adult residents of Slovenia. Owing to the complexity of the personal network questionnaire, the number of alters was limited to 5 in the 1987 survey, whereas there was no upper limit in the 2002 survey. There was also a difference in question wording. In the paper these two surveys are compared with regard to network composition and structure. Special attention is given to the effects of limiting the number of alters, question wording and network size on statistical estimates of network composition and structure.

Social Networks, Co-offending, and Gang Membership Among Latino Youth

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meagan Cahill ◽  
Samantha S. Lowry ◽  
Pamela Lachman ◽  
Caterina Roman ◽  
Carlena Orosco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Latino Youth ◽  
Gang Membership

Personal Networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernice Pescosolido ◽  
Edward B. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
Composition And Structure

Social networks are ubiquitous. The science of networks has shaped how researchers and society understand the spread of disease, the precursors of loneliness, the rise of protest movements, the causes of social inequality, the influence of social media, and much more. Egocentric analysis conceives of each individual, or ego, as embedded in a personal network of alters, a community partially of their creation and nearly unique to them, whose composition and structure have consequences. This volume is dedicated to understanding the history, present, and future of egocentric social network analysis. The text brings together the most important, classic articles foundational to the field with new perspectives to form a comprehensive volume ideal for courses in network analysis. The collection examines where the field of egocentric research has been, what it has uncovered, and where it is headed.

scholarly journals FEELING AND LIVING WELL: NETWORK COMPOSITION AND PREDICTING SELF-RATED HEALTH FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S178-S178
Author(s):  
Eli X Ornelas
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Living Well ◽  
Frequency Of Contact ◽  
Network Composition

Abstract Racial and ethnic inequities in health among older adults in the U.S. are well documented. A substantial amount of the health literature focuses on physical and mental disparities; however, less research has examined racial and ethnic differentials in subjective, self-rated health (SRH). Prior research has documented racial and ethnic inequities in SRH, though mechanisms by which these disparities occur are still largely unknown. One potential mechanism by which these disparities may arise is through unequal access to psychosocial resources through variability in social networks. Utilizing data from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) along with the 2006 HRS Psychosocial and Lifestyle Questionnaire, the current study seeks to explore racial and ethnic differentials in SRH from a social network perspective. Ordinal logistic regression is used to predict SRH by race and Hispanic ethnicity potentially mediated by possession and number of friends, frequency of contact with friends, and psychosocial and subjective well-being. Results indicate that older black adults are less likely to rate their health in a higher category of SRH than older white adults, and this relationship is not significant for other racial groups and Hispanics. Additionally, psychosocial and subjective well-being and frequent written-communication with friends are found to significantly predict better SRH. The results suggest that feeling well mentally is crucial for SRH, but equally important is regular contact with friends. Further research should employ more robust measures of social networks to elucidate the role that network composition plays in predicting SRH for racial and ethnic minorities.

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