Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of Social Networks on Health from a Stress Theoretical Perspective

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper focuses on the relevance of quantitative and qualitative aspects of social networks in a health context. The study combined a stress theoretical perspective with theories of social support and social capital in order to investigate the mechanisms behind the association of social network size and self-rated health. The main research question in the study is whether social integration affects health by changing stressor appraisal (perceived stressor intensity or anticipated stressor burden). The study used a survey of an Austrian student sample (n = 246) to measure two models of hypothetical exposure to a potentially stressful event. The findings indicate that individuals with larger trust and support networks consider potential stressors to be less threatening, which leads to a reduced level of stress symptoms and a better subjective health condition. The influence of network size on stressor appraisal is fully mediated by the perceived social embeddedness that these ties induce.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Berkman, L. F., & Glass, T. (2000). Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. In L. F. Berkman & I. Kawachi (Eds.), Social epidemiology (pp. 137–173). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. F., & Syme, L. S. (1979). Social networks, host-residence, and mortality – 9-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 109(2), 186–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bjorner, J., Fayers, P., & Idler, E. (2005). Self-rated health. In P. Fayers & R. Hays (Eds.), Assesing quality of life in clinical trials: Methods and practice (pp. 309–324). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blazer, D. G. (1982). Social support and mortality in an elderly community population. American Journal of Epidemiology, 115(5), 684–694.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borritz, M., & Kristensen, Tage S. (1999). Copenhagen burnout inventory. Copenhagen: National Institute of Occupational Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, S. (1976). Social support as a moderator of life stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 38(5), 300–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S. (1992). Stress, social support, and disorder. In H. O. F. Veiel & U. Baumann (Eds.), The meaning and measurement of social support (pp. 109–124). New York: Hemisphere Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Jong, J., & Van Tilburg, T. (2006). A 6-Item Scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness: Confirmatory tests on survey data. Research on Aging, 28, 582–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Döring, N., & Bortz, J. (1993). Psychometrische Einsamkeitsforschung: Deutsche Neukonstruktion der UCLA Loneliness Scale. Diagnostica, 39, 224–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durgin, F. H., Klein, B., Spiegel, A., Strawser, C. J., & Williams, M. (2012). The social psychology of perception experiments: Hills, backpacks, glucose, and the problem of generalizability. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 38(6), 1582–1595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiorillo, D., & Sabatini, F. (2011). Quality and quantity: The role of social interactions in self-reported individual health. Social Science and Medicine, 73(11), 1644–1652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Behavior, 21, 219–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerich, J. (2013). The inhibiting function of self-control and social control on alcohol consumption. Journal of Drug Issues. doi:10.1177/0022042613491110.

  • Harpham, T., Grant, E., & Thomas, E. (2002). Measuring social capital within health surveys: Key issues. Health Policy and Planning, 17(1), 106–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2011). Indirect. SPSS-Macro for mediation analysis. Retrieved from http://www.afhayes.com/public/indirect.pdf, August, 4, 2011.

  • House, J. S., Umberson, D., & Landis, K. R. (1988). Structures and processes of social support. Annual Review of Sociology, 14, 293–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ikeada, A., & Kawachi, I. (2010). Social networks and health. In A. Steptoe (Ed.), Handbook of behavioral medicine: Methods and applications (pp. 237–262). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kristensen, T. S., & Borg, V. (2000). AMI’s spørgeskema om psykisk arbejdsmiljø. Copenhagen: National Institute of Occupational Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1986). Cognitive theories of stress and the issue of circularity. Dynamics of stress: Physiological, psychological, and social perspectives. In M. H. Appley & R. Trumbull (Eds.), Dynamics of stress: Physiological, psychological, and social perspectives. The Plenum series on stress and coping (pp. 63–80). New York, NY: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, O. (1996). Assessing reliability of a measure of self-rated health. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 24(3), 218–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCallister, L., & Fischer, C. S. (1978). A procedure for surveying personal networks. Sociological Methods & Research, 7(2), 131–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miilunpalo, S., Vuori, I., Oja, P., Pasanen, M., & Urponen, H. (1997). Self-rated health measure: The predictive value of self-reported health status on the use of physician services and on mortality in the working-age population. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 50(5), 517–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nübling, M., Stößel, U., Hasselhorn, H.-M., Michaelis, M., & Hofmann, F. (2005). Methoden zur Erfassung psychischer Belastungen. Erprobung eines Messinstrumentes (COPSOQ). Nw-Verlag, Dortmund u.a., Germany.

  • Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 472–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schenk, M. (1995). Soziale Netzwerke und Massenmedien. Germany: Tübingen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schnall, S., Harber, K. D., Stefanucci, J. K., & Proffitt, D. R. (2008). Social support and the perception of geographical slant. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 1246–1255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, J. P. (2007). Social network analysis: A handbook (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skok, A., Harvey, D., & Reddihough, D. (2006). Perceived stress, perceived social support, and wellbeing among mothers of school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Journal of Intellectual & Develepmental Disability, 31(1), 53–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. P., & Christakis, N. A. (2008). Social networks and health. Annual Review of Sociology, 34, 405–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equation models. Sociological Methodology, 13, 290–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1982). Conceptual, methodological, and theoretical problems in studying social support as a buffer against life stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 23, 145–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1985). Social support and psychological wellbeing: Theoretical possibilities. In I. G. Sarason & B. R. Sarason (Eds.), Social support: Theory, research and applications. Dordrecht: Nijhoff Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (2010). Stress and health: Major findings and policy implications. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51, 41–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treharne, G. J., Lyons, A. C., & Tupling, R. E. (2001). The effects of optimism, pessimism, social support, and mood on the lagged relationship between daily stress and symptoms. Current Research in Social Psychology, 7, 60–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., Crosnoe, R., & Reczek, C. (2010). Social relationships and health behavior across life course. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 139–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Poel, M. G. M. (1993). Delineating personal support networks. Social Networks, 15, 49–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1999). Social network analysis: Methods and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Johannes Kepler University, 4040, Linz, Austria

    Joachim Gerich

Authors
  1. Joachim Gerich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joachim Gerich.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (PDF 545 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gerich, J. Effects of Social Networks on Health from a Stress Theoretical Perspective. Soc Indic Res 118, 349–364 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0423-7

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0423-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation