The Place of Network Analysis in the Study of Supportive Social Associations

Network analysis is a set of constructs used to identify and to describe social units according to the transactions that take place among individuals. This analytic framework can prove particularly useful for the study of supportive 'interpersonal exchanges during conditions of rapid social change. Despite demonstrated importance of social support to health and well-being, earlier concepts used in the study of social support have not provided a framework needed to differentiate supportive exchanges, to describe the supportive associations available to a single individual, and to uncover the often concealed structures that underlie repeated patterns of supportive exchanges within a community. A review of both the earlier concepts and of network analysis is followed by an examination of four studies, each illustrating a particular value in the use of network analysis for the study of social support.