Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Popular social network indexes (e.g., see Cohen et al. 1997), when used alone, neglect and are incapable of capturing the range of effects that social networks have on health. We discuss several relational concepts that are crucial to understanding the link between social structure and health, and show how these concepts can be operationalized in a population-based study. Using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we examine how core network features relate to the concepts operationalized by social network indexes. We consider the methodological implications of our results for general health and biomedical research on the association between social structures and health.