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Contextualizing Health Outcomes: Do Effects of Network Structure Differ for Women and Men?

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Abstract

Although previous research demonstrated that networks matter for health-related outcomes, few studies have investigated the possibility that network effects may differ between women and men. In a multivariate regression analysis of a US sample of 548 hurricane victims, we ask whether effects of network composition, density, and size affect perceived adequacy of social support and depressive symptoms more strongly among women than among men. We find evidence for these moderating effects, for direct effects of density on support adequacy and size on depressive symptoms. Our examination of indirect effects of network structure on depressive symptoms, in the pathway through perceived adequacy of social support, suggests that gender may exert more substantial moderating effects than previous health studies suggest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Valerie A. Haines

  2. Department of Sociology and Hurricane Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA

    John J. Beggs & Jeanne S. Hurlbert

Authors
  1. Valerie A. Haines
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  2. John J. Beggs
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  3. Jeanne S. Hurlbert
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Valerie A. Haines.

Additional information

This research was supported by Grant #SES922444 from the National Science Foundation. The first author was supported by the Population Health Intervention Research Centre of the University of Calgary. We thank Bernice Pescosolido for comments on an earlier version of this paper; we also thank the reviewers and editor for their comments.

Appendix

Appendix

Unstandardized coefficients for perceived adequacy of social support and depressive symptoms, interaction terms for female difference.

Independent variable

Perceived adequacy of social support

Depressive symptoms

Main

Female interaction

Main

Female interaction

Individual characteristics

Female

−1.311**

 

15.350

 

Education

.010

.016

−.063

 

Family income

.001

−.004

−.062*

 

Age

−.001

 

.496***

−1.382**

Age squared

  

−.005*

.011**

Race (white)

.006

.225*

.278

 

Never married

−.241*

.298*

4.304

−7.456*

Separated/divorced

−.240**

 

−2.226

6.760*

Disaster loss

−.036

−.071

.473

1.798

Household dependents

−.048*

 

1.160

−2.986**

Chronic health problems

−.153***

.125

4.729**

 

Hurricane experience

−.115

.161

−6.508*

7.441*

Household insurance

−.045

 

−1.656

−6.040*

Social support

Perceived adequacy

  

−9.073**

5.416*

Network structure

Proportion kin

.020

 

.556

 

Proportion female

−.108

.131

−5.470**

 

Mean closeness

.170

.578***

3.086

 

Relationship duration

−.038

.421*

3.777

−4.687

Size

.046**

 

−.001

.960***

Intercept

3.842

 

34.690

 

R 2

.210

 

.297

 

N

548

 

548

 
  1. Models were trimmed of interaction terms where p ≥ .40.
  2. *p < .05, ** p < .01 (two-tailed test), ***p < .05 (one-tailed test).

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Haines, V.A., Beggs, J.J. & Hurlbert, J.S. Contextualizing Health Outcomes: Do Effects of Network Structure Differ for Women and Men?. Sex Roles 59, 164–175 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9441-3

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