DOCSLIB.ORG

Social Network Correlates of HCV and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among Injecting Drug Users Victor Emanuel Reyes-Ortiz Walden University

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Social Network Correlates of HCV and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among Injecting Drug Users Victor Emanuel Reyes-Ortiz Walden University Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2015 Social Network Correlates of HCV and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors among Injecting Drug Users Victor Emanuel Reyes-Ortiz Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Epidemiology Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons, and the Public Health Education and Promotion Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Health Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Victor Reyes-Ortiz has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Mary Lou Gutierrez, Committee Chairperson, Public Health Faculty Dr. Gary Burkholder, Committee Member, Public Health Faculty Dr. Margarita Alegría, Committee External Member, Harvard University Dr. JaMuir Robinson, University Reviewer, Public Health Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2015 Abstract Social Network Correlates of HCV and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors among Injecting Drug Users by Víctor Emanuel Reyes-Ortiz MS, University of Puerto Rico, 2006 BS MT, University of Puerto Rico, 2001 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University November 2015 Abstract Drug injection is an increasingly important risk factor in the transmission of blood-borne pathogens, including the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of social network factors on HCV and HIV. The study was grounded in social network theory and sought to determine whether social network characteristics affect high-risk sexual and drug injection behavior as well as self-reported HIV and HCV status. The study design was a quantitative cross-sectional survey. 181 participants in a needle exchange program completed a survey in Spanish assessing individual drug and sex risk practices as well as gathering information to describe the characteristics of participants’ personal networks from an egocentric perspective. General estimating equation techniques were used to analyze the data. Results showed that only social network size was related to risky sexual behavior. Injecting risk behaviors were only impacted by personal network exposures, measured by the average number of years network members had injected. HIV self- reported serum status was correlated with trust, closeness, and number of family members named among the closest 5 network members. Last, HCV self-reported serum status was only related to the years that network members had been injecting drugs. This study has implications for positive social change in that public health practitioners may gain a better understanding of the social network characteristics associated with high-risk behaviors of those infected with HCV and HIV in order to develop health promotion programs to lower infections and mortality. Social Network Correlates of HCV and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors among Injecting Drug Users by Víctor Emanuel Reyes Ortiz MS, University of Puerto Rico, 2006 BS MT, University of Puerto Rico, 2001 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University November 2015 Dedication With great humility, I dedicate this work to the three most influential men in my life: Rev. Wilson De Jesús, Rev. Rafael "Rafy" Medina, and Dr. Rene Dávila-Torres, PhD, DBA. To them who taught me sacrifice, courage, and love for those around me that now are called community; their teachings were no less than public health. Acknowledgments I want to acknowledge all those who have been part of this success—those gone and those who are still here, making a better me. My family, Victor M. Reyes-Rivera and Nancy Ortiz Rivera, thanks for giving me the privilege of doubt. Once, you said to me, “Do you really think people will pay you for thinking and reading?” Well, now you see it. Not bad for a ghetto-boy. To Aricedly and Sonia, my beloved sisters, your support has been fundamental through all these years. José A. Ortiz, what can I tell you? Nothing more than THANKS. To my crew: Michelle Reyes-Robles, Santos Villaran-Gutierrez, Darleen González-Cortés, Jessenia Zayas-Ríos, Gabriel A. Vilella-Rivera, Sergio Fabián- Santiago, Crhistopher Orozco, Kenja Correa-Nivar, José Capriles-Quiroz, Ivelisse García-Meléndez, Mildred Pérez, Nirzka Labault-Cabeza, Miriam Márquez, Ana Parrilla, Luz E. León-López, Ana Luisa Dávila, Aida Font, Yaritza Morgado, José Gorrín-Peralta, Luz Muñiz de Meléndez, Glenda O. Dávila-Torres, Carmen Márquez, Adolfo Torres, Eladio Quintana, Quique & Gloria Alejandro, José García, Fam. Zambrano & Fam. Amézquita and the MPH class of 2011. All of you play a magnificent role in my life; without you guys, I’d have never done it. Believing is a strong power that you pour in others to make a better us; don’t stop believing. I also want to give thanks to the people of Dessources, Haiti, who gave me back hope when I went hopeless; you are the paradise, and I’ll never forget about you. To all the Latino communities in Cuba, Panamá, Honduras, El Salvador, New York, California, Texas, and Puerto Rico that allowed me to work within your houses, families, churches, hospitals, and elsewhere, no other words can be said beyond inspiration. Each of you inspired me to go forward and to try harder in each step. To the University of Puerto Rico IRB, which pushed me through all this process, you were some kind of fairy godmothers making all this better. To the following organizations, which also helped me through the hard times, making me to take out the best of me: Iniciativa Comunitaria e Investigación San Juan, PR; Arca del Refugio, Comerío, PR; Roca de Salvación, SFO, CA; and Casa de Paz, Las Piedras, PR. THANKS!! Last, I want to thank my committee for supporting me on each trip to Latino América, to the shooting galleries, to each congress and publication. Thanks to Dr. Burkholder who was patient, dedicated and showed me what should be a graduated mentor and not just a professor. I couldn’t believe your dedication was so strong that you didn’t have vacations, holydays, weekends or regular days; you only had Research Days. Dr. Alegría it has never been easy to do dissertatin but your guidance and questioning take me above and beyond my own expectations. Last, Dr. Gutiérez I’ll be in debt for all the hard working and the ever lasting converstations and couseling [even the fights] in this journey. To all of you thanks. I guess I have not been the “best grad” in a lifetime, but you have certainly been the best committee one could have. Lessons are forever … hope to keep you with me forever too. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................1 Hepatitis C Epidemic .............................................................................................. 3 HIV Epidemic ......................................................................................................... 5 HCV and HIV Epidemic Interactions ..................................................................... 8 Social Network Characteristics ............................................................................... 9 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................12 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................13 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................14 Research Questions and Hypotheses ...........................................................................14 Theoretical Base...........................................................................................................16 Definition of Terms......................................................................................................17 Assumptions .................................................................................................................19 Limitations ...................................................................................................................20 Delimitations ................................................................................................................20 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................21 Summary and Transition ..............................................................................................21 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................23
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Adolescent Social Networks and Sexual Practices Wassie Kebede
    Social Networks and Sexual Practices ____________________________________________________________________________ Adolescent Social Networks and Sexual Practices Wassie Kebede B.A., Addis Ababa University M.A., Addis Ababa University A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In Social Work & Social Development © Wassie Kebede, 2009 Addis Ababa University All Rights Reserved. This dissertation may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopying or other means, without the permission of the author Social Networks and Sexual Practices ii ___________________________________________________________________________ Social Networks and Sexual Practices iii ______________________________________________________________________________ Abstract This study examines adolescent social networks and sexual practices (and how they differ among males and females of different ages) among ninth-grade students in two high schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Social exchange theory and group socialization theory guide the study. Other theories that the study utilizes are the theory of homophily, balance theory, the theory of self-interest, and the theory of early sexual practices. Up to now, there has been no systematic research in Ethiopia or the rest of Africa on the relationship between adolescent social networks and sexual practices. Mixed-methods research guides the study, which consists of two parts. Study A generated data from a 264-item survey of 167 respondents, to which parametric and nonparametric statistics (using a consistent alpha of .05) are applied. Study B used 10 critical cases to generate qualitative data. Critical cases are study participants selected based on their capacity to provide reliable data of interest. UCINET 6.0 was used to draw social network diagrams, and qualitative data were transcribed and subjected to content analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Network Analysis of a Gonorrhoea Outbreak P De, a E Singh, T Wong, W Yacoub, a M Jolly
    280 Sex Transm Infect: first published as 10.1136/sti.2003.007187 on 4 August 2004. Downloaded from ORIGINAL ARTICLE Sexual network analysis of a gonorrhoea outbreak P De, A E Singh, T Wong, W Yacoub, A M Jolly ............................................................................................................................... Sex Transm Infect 2004;80:280–285. doi: 10.1136/sti.2003.007187 Objectives: Sexual partnerships can be viewed as networks in order to study disease transmission. We examined the transmission of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a localised outbreak in Alberta, Canada, using measures of network centrality to determine the association between risk of infection of network members and their position within the sexual network. We also compared risk in smaller disconnected components with a large network centred on a social venue. Methods: During the investigation of the outbreak, epidemiological data were collected on gonorrhoea cases and their sexual contacts from STI surveillance records. In addition to traditional contact tracing information, subjects were interviewed about social venues they attended in the past year where casual sexual partnering may have occurred. Sexual networks were constructed by linking together named See end of article for authors’ affiliations partners. Univariate comparisons of individual network member characteristics and algebraic measures of ....................... network centrality were completed. Results: The sexual networks consisted of 182 individuals, of whom 107 were index cases with laboratory Correspondence to: Prithwish De, Department confirmed gonorrhoea and 75 partners of index cases. People who had significantly higher information of Epidemiology and centrality within each of their local networks were found to have patronised a popular motel bar in the Biostatistics, McGill main town in the region (p = 0.05).
    [Show full text]
  • Religion Networks and Hiv/Aids in Rural Malawi
    RELIGION NETWORKS AND HIV/AIDS IN RURAL MALAWI DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Ohio State University By jimi adams * * * * * Ohio State University 2007 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Kazimierz M. Slomczynski, Advisor Professor James W. Moody, Outside Member _______________________ Professor Korie Edwards Advisor Sociology Graduate Program Professor Steven H. Lopez Copyright by jimi adams 2007 ABSTRACT Sub-Saharan Africa’s residents represent approximately two-thirds of the nearly 40 million global HIV/AIDS cases, while comprising only about one-tenth of the world’s population. In the rural settings where most inhabitants of SSA live, religious organizations are the only formal organizations present, and virtually all residents of SSA participate in a religious organization. Many have theorized a relationship between religion and HIV/AIDS, suggesting alternately its helpful and harmful potential in this crisis. The existing research conceptualizes religion, HIV risk and the connection between them by studying individuals, organizations, or aggregations of individuals and organizations. In this dissertation, I demonstrate the adjustments a network perspective contributes to researchers’ ability to understand religious organizational responses to this epidemic, the nature of HIV-risk and, perhaps most importantly, how these are linked. The resulting conceptualization suggests some of the first mechanisms that demonstrate how
    [Show full text]
  • The Effect of Social Media Use on Physical Isolation in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder
    Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2021 The Effect of Social Media use on Physical Isolation in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder Davena Limitless Longshore Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons, Computer Sciences Commons, and the Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Davena L. Longshore has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Georita Frierson, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Alethea Baker, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. Michael Johnson, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2021 Abstract The Effect of Social Media use on Physical Isolation in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. by Davena L. Longshore MS, Walden University, 2017 MIS, University of Phoenix, 2008 BA, Florida Atlantic University, 2004 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Clinical Psychology Walden University August 2021 Abstract Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience extreme interpersonal conflict, crippling their ability to sustain successful relationships.
    [Show full text]
  • Chains of Affection: the Structure of Adolescent Romantic and Sexual Networks
    Chains of Affection: The Structure of Adolescent Romantic and Sexual Networks Peter S. Bearman* Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy Columbia University James Moody Department of Sociology Ohio State University Katherine Stovel Department of Sociology University of Washington 9960 words 10 figures 5 tables Data for this paper are drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a program project designed by J. Richard Udry and Peter Bearman, and funded by a grant HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with cooperative funding participation by the following agencies: The National Cancer Institute; The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders; the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the National Institute of Mental health; the Office of AIDS Research, NIH; the Office of Director, NIH; The National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS; Office of Minority Health, Centers for Disease Control and prevention, HHS, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS; and the National Science Foundation. The authors thank Douglas White, Martina Morris, Mark Hancock, and J. Richard Udry for helpful comments on previous drafts of this paper. *Corresponding author. Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. 814 SIPA Building, Columbia University, New York NY 10027. Email: [email protected] 1 Abstract: Recognizing the actual structure of sexual networks is critical for modeling the potential for disease transmission, if disease is spread via sexual contact.
    [Show full text]
  • Likelihood-Based Inference for Stochastic Models of Sexual Network Formation
    Likelihood-Based Inference for Stochastic Models of Sexual Network Formation Mark S. Handcock Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Department of Statistics University of Washington, Seattle, WA James Holland Jones1 Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases University of Washington, Seattle, WA 29 January 2003 Working Paper #29 Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences University of Washington Box 354322 Seattle, WA 98195-4322, USA 1Corresponding Author: Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, Box 354320, Seattle, WA 98195- 4320, email: [email protected], Phone: 206-221-6874, Fax: 206-221-6873 Abstract Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STDs) constitute a major public health concern. Mathematical models for the transmission dynamics of STDs indicate that heterogeneity in sexual activity level allow them to persist even when the typical behavior of the population would not support endemicity. This insight focuses attention on the distribution of sexual activity level in a pop- ulation. In this paper, we develop several stochastic process models for the formation of sexual partnership networks. Using likelihood-based model selection procedures, we assess the fit of the different models to three large distributions of sexual partner counts: (1) Rakai, Uganda, (2) Sweden, and (3) the USA. Five of the six single-sex networks were fit best by the negative binomial model. The American women’s network was best fit by a power-law model, the Yule. For most networks, several competing models fit approximately equally well. These results sug- gest three conclusions: (1) no single unitary process clearly underlies the formation of these sexual networks, (2) behavioral heterogeneity plays an essential role in network structure, (3) substantial model uncertainty exists for sexual network degree distributions.
    [Show full text]
  • NIH Public Access Author Manuscript Epidemiology
    NIH Public Access Author Manuscript Epidemiology. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 June 27. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptPublished NIH-PA Author Manuscript in final edited NIH-PA Author Manuscript form as: Epidemiology. 2012 November ; 23(6): 845–851. doi:10.1097/EDE.0b013e31826c2b7e. Sexual Networks, Surveillance, and Geographical Space during Syphilis Outbreaks in Rural North Carolina Irene A Dohertya, Marc L Serreb, Dionne Gesinkc, Adaora A Adimoraa,b, Stephen Q Muthd, Peter A Leonea, and William C Millera,b aSchool of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC bGillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC cDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario, Canada dQuintus-ential Solutions, Colorado Springs, CO Abstract Background—Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) spread along sexual networks whose structural characteristics promote transmission that routine surveillance may not capture. Cases who have partners from multiple localities may operate as spatial network bridges, thereby facilitating geographical dissemination. We investigated the relationships between surveillance, sexual networks, and spatial bridges for syphilis outbreaks in rural counties of North Carolina. Methods—We selected from the state health department’s surveillance database cases diagnosed with primary, secondary, or early latent syphilis during October 1998 - December 2002 residing in central and southeastern North Carolina, along with their sex partners, and their social contacts irrespective of infection status. We applied matching algorithms to eliminate duplicate names and create a unique roster of partnerships from which networks were compiled and graphed. Network members were differentiated by disease status and county of residence.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Social Network Analysis to Quantify the Importance of Social Venues in an Infectious Syphilis Outbreak in Calgary, Alberta: a Pilot Study
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 2010 The Use of Social Network Analysis to Quantify the Importance of Social Venues in an Infectious Syphilis Outbreak in Calgary, Alberta: A pilot study Fur, Rhonda Lynne Fur, R. L. (2010). The Use of Social Network Analysis to Quantify the Importance of Social Venues in an Infectious Syphilis Outbreak in Calgary, Alberta: A pilot study (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/16933 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/47831 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The Use of Social Network Analysis to Quantify the Importance of Social Venues in an Infectious Syphilis Outbreak in Calgary, Alberta: A pilot study by Rhonda Lynne Fur A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES CALGARY, ALBERTA MAY 2010 © Rhonda Lynne Fur 2010 The author of this thesis has granted the University of Calgary a non-exclusive license to reproduce and distribute copies of this thesis to users of the University of Calgary Archives. Copyright remains with the author. Theses and dissertations available in the University of Calgary Institutional Repository are solely for the purpose of private study and research.
    [Show full text]
  • Retrospective Network Imputation from Life History Data: the Impact of Designs
    Social Network Models Sociological Methodology 2020, Vol. 50(1) 131–167 Ó American Sociological Association 2020 DOI: 10.1177/0081175020905624 3 http://sm.sagepub.com RETROSPECTIVE NETWORK IMPUTATION FROM LIFE HISTORY DATA: THE IMPACT OF DESIGNS Yue Yu* Emily J. Smithy Carter T. Butts*,z Abstract Retrospective life history designs are among the few practical approaches for collecting longitudinal network information from large populations, particu- larly in the context of relationships like sexual partnerships that cannot be measured via digital traces or documentary evidence. While all such designs afford the ability to “peer into the past” vis-a`-vis the point of data collection, little is known about the impact of the specific design parameters on the time horizon over which such information is useful. In this article, we investigate the effect of two different survey designs on retrospective network imputation: (1) intervalN, where subjects are asked to provide information on all partners within the past N time units; and (2) lastK, where subjects are asked to pro- vide information about their K most recent partners. We simulate a “ground truth” sexual partnership network using a published model of Krivitsky (2012), and we then sample this data using the two retrospective designs *Department of Computer Science, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA yDepartments of Mathematics and Sociology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, CA, USA zDepartments of Sociology, Statistics, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA Corresponding Author: Carter T. Butts, Department of Sociology, University of California-Irvine, SSPA 2145, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Context, Sexual Networks, and Racial Disparities in Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections
    SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE Social Context, Sexual Networks, and Racial Disparities in Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections Adaora A. Adimora1,2 and Victor J. Schoenbach2 1Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, and 2Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Background. Social context (demographic, socioeconomic, macroeconomic, and sociopolitical features of the environment) influences the epidemiology and consequences of individual behaviors that affect health outcomes. This article examines the role of social context in heterosexual networks that facilitate the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly in relation to persistent racial disparities in rates of STIs in the United States. Methods. Review of the medical, public health, and social science literature. Results. Contextual factors, such as poverty, discrimination, epidemiology of illicit drug use in the community, ratio of men to women, incarceration rates, and racial segregation, influence sexual behavior and sexual networks directly and indirectly through a variety of mechanisms. Disparities in these contextual features likely contribute substantially to the persistence of marked racial disparities in rates of STIs. Conclusions. Given the importance of contextual factors and the sharply contrasting social contexts for blacks and whites, exclusive emphasis on individual risk factors and determinants is unlikely to produce solutions that will significantly decrease HIV rates among blacks. Effective HIV prevention in this population will require mul- tidisciplinary research to address the contextual factors that promote patterns of sexual networks that facilitate transmission of STIs. Sexual networks are critical in the spread of sexually CRITICAL ROLE OF SEXUAL NETWORKS transmitted infections (STIs).
    [Show full text]
  • Social Networks IZA Dpno
    IZA DP No. 4621 Social Networks Joan de Martí Yves Zenou December 2009 DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit Institute for the Study of Labor Social Networks Joan de Martí Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Barcelona GSE Yves Zenou Stockholm University, IFN and IZA Discussion Paper No. 4621 December 2009 IZA P.O. Box 7240 53072 Bonn Germany Phone: +49-228-3894-0 Fax: +49-228-3894-180 E-mail: [email protected] Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post Foundation. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author. IZA Discussion Paper No. 4621 December 2009 ABSTRACT Social Networks We survey the literature on social networks by putting together the economics, sociological and physics/applied mathematics approaches, showing their similarities and differences.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Networks As Social Capital
    UJ Sociology, Anthropology & Development Studies W E D N E S D A Y S E M I N A R Hosted by the Department of Sociology and the Department of Anthropology & Development Studies Meeting no 25/2009 To be held at 15h30 on Wednesday, 9 September 2009, in the Anthropology & Development Studies Seminar Room, DRing 506, Kingsway campus Sexual networks as social capital Prof Robert Thornton Wits Department of Anthropology - Please do not copy or cite without authors’ permission - - Programme and other information online at www.uj.ac.za/sociology - Sexual networks as social capital: Why 'multiple concurrent sexual partnerships' may be rational responses to unstable social networks Robert Thornton Abstract: While multiple concurrent sexual partnerships (MCPs) are prevalent in southern Africa and have been identified as a primary cause of very high HIV prevalence in this region, many sexually active individuals appear to neglect their biological risk of HIV infection in order to maximise their 'social capital.' Through increasing the size and diversity of their sexual networks they extend their social networks through sexual liaisons. This maximisation of social capital also maximises their risk of infection. The result seems 'irrational' when viewed from the perspective of any individual actor, but at a larger, social scale, the result is greater 'social capital' and, as a consequence, better access to many other social and economic goods. This article argues that people in ordinary, non- promiscuous relationships, and those who are in unstable and less- connected parts of the network that are most dynamically active in building their sexual networks, thus increasing their exposure to HIV infection.
    [Show full text]