Impact of social networks, mental health, and sobriety on exercise within a collegiate recovery community

Amo

Francis

et al. 2022

MHSI

Self Cite

Purpose This paper aims to use social network analysis (SNA) to determine whether compulsive exercise (CE) was related to social connections and network position among participants of group-exercise programs. Design/methodology/approach Members from two group-exercise programs (Gym 1: n = 103; Gym 2: n = 56) completed an online survey measuring their social connections within the program, CE, depressive symptoms and sense of belonging. Network position was calculated for each person based on network centrality scores (i.e. closeness, eigenvector centrality). Linear network autocorrelation models determined whether respondents reported similar CE as their network ties (i.e., network effects) and whether network position was related to CE in these networks. Findings Eigenvector centrality (i.e., being connected to popular/important people within the network; Gym 1: parameter estimate [PE] = 0.51, p < 0.01, Gym 2: PE = 0.39, p = 0.02) and network effects (i.e. having similar CE scores as direct network ties; Gym 1: PE = 0.07, p < 0.01, Gym 2: PE = 0.19, p < 0.01) were related to CE among participants in these programs. Originality/value This study builds on existing SNA research suggesting the importance of social connections and network position on CE, and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first to explore these effects among group-exercise participants. This study describes how the social environment can impact, both positively and negatively, someone’s susceptibility for CE and supports fostering social connections within group-exercise programs as a way to potentially combat harmful CE among its participants.

Section: Research Question 2: Do Members Of Group-exercise Network Ha...supporting

confidence: 87%

The importance of social connections in combating compulsive exercise among group-exercise participants: a network analysis

Amo

Francis

et al. 2022

MHSI

Self Cite

“…Similarly, in egocentric network research, an investigator might ask respondents to indicate anyone in their life they would trust with a personal matter, eliciting a set of dyads meaningful to each respondent. 28,29 Either way, the name generator creates sets of dyads that make up a network and allow for social network analyses to be conducted. 25 Egocentric and whole network research have been used to demonstrate the importance of social relationships relative to PA. For example, a recent review of SNA studies investigating adolescent PA found social selection and social influence were significantly related to adolescent PA behaviors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…25 For example, researchers conducting whole network research might provide a roster of all members of a network to each respondent, and ask for them to indicate anyone in their defined network they would trust with an important, personal matter. 28 In this case, while respondents are limited to nominating only others in their network, the name generator returns a set of dyads that exist within that network. Similarly, in egocentric network research, an investigator might ask respondents to indicate anyone in their life they would trust with a personal matter, eliciting a set of dyads meaningful to each respondent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Social Network Influences on Adult Physical Activity Using Social Network Analysis: A Systematic Review

Prochnow

2021

Am J Health Promot

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Objective Social network analysis (SNA) can measure social connectedness and assess impact of interpersonal connections on health behaviors, including physical activity (PA). This paper aims to systematically review adult PA studies using SNA to understand important social network concepts relative to PA. Data Source A search was performed using PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria To be included in the search, articles needed to 1) include a measure of PA, 2) conduct an SNA in which specific relationships were measured, and 3) conduct an analysis between social network measures and PA. Data Extraction Key study elements including network design and results were extracted. Data Synthesis Data were synthesized to answer 2 questions: 1) how has adult PA been investigated using SNA approaches and 2) how is an adult’s social network associated with PA behaviors? Results A final sample of 28 articles remained from an initial 11 085 articles. Network size, homophily, network composition, and network exposure to PA were all associated with individual level PA across studies. Lastly, longitudinal and intervention studies showed a more complex picture of social influence and diffusion of PA behavior. Conclusions Adults’ PA behaviors are influenced by their networks. Capitalizing on this influence, researchers should engage not just individual behavior change but also the social influences present within the person’s life.

“…Within our data, “Asking for advice” emerged as the primary theme from Reddit data, suggesting social media could serve as a place for support and information-seeking for people struggling with addiction. Previous research has established the importance of social support for people recovering from SUD [ 9 , 13 , 43 ], and advice seeking is one way to receive informational, emotional, and tangible support from others. The second most common theme from our analysis was “giving advice” which we contextualized as referring to acts of service.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Natural experiments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have reinforced the importance of social networks in aiding addiction and recovery [ 13 , 14 ]. Indeed, since the pandemic was declared a national emergency in February 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified a 13% increase in licit and illicit substance use, abuse, and overdose compared with points prior to the pandemic [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computational analyses identify addiction help-seeking behaviors on the social networking website Reddit: Insights into online social interactions and addiction support communities

Valdez

2022

PLOS Digit Health

Self Cite

Introduction Although social connection to others with lived addiction experiences is a strong predictor of long-term recovery from substance use disorders (SUD), the COVID-19 pandemic greatly altered global abilities to physically connect with other people. Evidence suggests online forums for people with SUD may serve as a sufficient proxy for social connection, however efficacy of online spaces as addiction treatment adjuncts remains empirically understudied. Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze a collection of Reddit posts germane to addiction and recovery collected between March-August 2022. Methods We collected (n = 9,066) Reddit posts (1) r/addiction; (2) r/DecidingToBeBetter, (3) r/SelfImprovement, (4) r/OpitatesRecovery, (5) r/StopSpeeding, (6) r/RedditorsInRecovery, and (7) r/StopSmoking subreddits. We applied several classes of natural language processing (NLP) methods to analyze and visualize our data including term frequency inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) calculations, k-means clustering, and principal components analysis (PCA). We also applied a Valence Aware Dictional and sEntiment [sic] Reasoner (VADER) sentiment analysis to determine affect in our data. Results Our analyses revealed three distinct clusters: (1) Personal addiction struggle, or sharing one’s recovery journey (n = 2,520), (2) Giving advice, or offering counseling based on first-hand experiences (n = 3,885), and (3) Seeking advice, or asking for support or advice related to addiction (n = 2,661). Discussion & conclusion Addiction, SUD, and recovery dialogue on Reddit is exceedingly robust. Much of the content mirrors tenets for established addiction-recovery programs, which suggests Reddit, and other social networking websites, may serve as efficient tools to promote social connection among people with SUD.