Social Network Typologies and Mental Health among African Americans.

Abstract

This dissertation examined social network typologies among African Americans and the relation between network types and mental health. The first study explored network types, with specific aims of 1) identifying distinct network types and their prevalence rates and 2) examining the sociodemographic correlates of the identified network types. This study used typology indicators of the family and church networks. The second study examined the relationship between network types and serious psychological distress. Network types were derived using typology indicators of the family and friendship networks. The third study investigated the association between network types and suicidality. Typologies were derived from indicators of the family and church networks.

Results from the first study indicated that four distinct social network types exist among African American adults. The identified types were: ambivalent, optimal, family-centered, and strained. These four types were distinguished by 1) the degree of social integration, 2) network composition, and 3) the level of negative interactions with network members. The analysis indicated that network type membership varied by sociodemographic characteristics. Findings for the second study indicated that respondents in the ambivalent type (high social integration and negative interactions) reported higher levels of serious psychological distress than their counterparts in the optimal type (high social integration, low negative interactions). Finally, the third study found that network types were associated with suicidal plans and attempts. Most notably, the results revealed that African Americans belonging to the optimal type were more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime than those in the isolated, strained (high social isolation and negative interactions), and ambivalent types.

Overall, the collective findings of this dissertation indicate that family, friends, and church members make unique contributions to African Americans’ mental health. The results also suggest that network types vary by race. Moreover, this dissertation confirmed that not only were negative interactions with family and church members associated with worse mental health outcomes but also that this association is stronger than the association between social integration and positive mental health. Network typologies have a number of practice implications, as they can inform the development of prevention and intervention programs.