Social Network. Measures of social network composition
typically ask about the number of persons with whom one has
regular social interaction. Having a larger social network
is a significant protective factor for physical health problems,
but the mechanisms for this are not well understood (Uchino,
2004
xClose
Uchino, B. N. (2004). Social support and physical health:
Understanding the health consequences of relationships. New
Haven, CT: Yale University Press.). It has been suggested
that persons who are more integrated in their community
are more susceptible to social pressure through network
enforcement of norms discouraging smoking or alcohol use (Berkman,
Glass, Brissette, & Seeman, 2000
xClose
Berkman, L. F., Glass, T., Brissette, I., & Seeman, T. E.
(2000). From social integration to health. Social Science
and Medicine, 51, 843-857.). There is some evidence
showing network size related to substance
use (Hanson,
1994
xClose
Hanson, B. L. (1994). Social network, social support and heavy
drinking in elderly men: A population study of men born in
1914, Malmö, Sweden. Addiction, 89, 725-732.;
Umberson,
1987
xClose
Umberson, D. (1987). Family status and health behaviors: Social
control as a dimension of social integration. Journal of Health
and Social Behavior, 28, 306-319.) but there is little
direct evidence on whether a social influence process is involved
in this effect (see Urberg,
Degirmencioglu, & Pilgrim, 1997
xClose
Urberg, K. A., Degirmencioglu, S. M., & Pilgrim, C. (1997).
Close friend and group influence on adolescent cigarette smoking.
Developmental Psychology, 33, 834-844.; Wills
& Filer, 2001
xClose
Wills, T. A., & Filer, M. (2001). Social networks and social
support. In A. Baum, T. A. Revenson, & J. E. Singer (Eds.),
Handbook of health psychology (pp. 209-234). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.).
Social Support. The construct of social
support refers to the availability of persons who
can be supportive when one has a problem, through
behaviors such as empathic listening or providing needed tangible
goods (Wills
& Filer, 2001
xClose
Wills, T. A., & Filer, M. (2001). Social networks and social
support. In A. Baum, T. A. Revenson, & J. E. Singer (Eds.),
Handbook of health psychology (pp. 209-234). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.;
Wills
& Shinar, 2000
xClose
Wills, T. A., & Shinar, O. (2000). Measuring perceived and
received social support. In S. Cohen, L. G. Underwood, & B.
H. Gottlieb (Eds.), Social support measurement and intervention:
A guide for health and social scientists (pp. 86-135). New
York: Oxford University Press.). Most measures of social
support are usually not referenced to a specific type of problem
or health behavior, though they may be predictors of substance
use (Brennan
& Moos, 1990
xClose
Brennan, P. L., & Moos, R. H. (1990). Life stressors, social
resources, and late-life problem drinking. Psychology and
Aging, 5, 491-501.; Peirce,
Frone, Russell, & Cooper, 1996
xClose
Peirce, R. S., Frone, M. R., Russell, M., & Cooper, M. L.
(1996). Financial stress, social support, and alcohol involvement:
A longitudinal test of the buffering hypothesis in a general
population survey. Health Psychology, 15, 38-47.; Wills,
Resko, Ainette, & Mendoza, 2004
xClose
Wills, T. A., Resko, J., Ainette, M., & Mendoza, D. (2004).
The role of parent and peer support in adolescent substance
use: A test of mediated effects. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,
18, 122-134.). There are instances where measures of
emotional/instrumental supportiveness have been adapted for
a specific behavior, such as smoking or alcohol cessation
(Cohen
& Lichtenstein, 1990
xClose
Cohen, S., & Lichtenstein, E. (1990). Partner behaviors that
support quitting smoking. Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, 58, 304-309.; Havassey,
Hall, & Wasserman, 1991
xClose
Havassey, B. E., Hall, S. M., & Wasserman, D. A. (1991). Social
support and relapse: Commonalities among alcoholics, opiate
users, and cigarette smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 16, 235-246.).
|