Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2011 May-Jun;40(3):193-200.
doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2010.05.049. Epub 2010 Aug 3.

Social network and health outcomes among African American cardiac rehabilitation patients

Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Social network and health outcomes among African American cardiac rehabilitation patients

Rifky Tkatch et al. Heart Lung. 2011 May-Jun.

Abstract

Objective: We tested the hypotheses that the number of close social network members and the health-related support provided by social network members are predictive of coping efficacy and health behaviors.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 115 African Americans enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation. Measures included the social convoy model, SF-36, the Social Interaction Questionnaire, the Patient Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and an investigator-developed assessment of health behaviors.

Results: Bivariate relationships were found between the number of inner network members and coping efficacy (r = .19, P < .05) and health behaviors (r = .18, P < .06), and between health-related support and coping efficacy (r = .22, P < .05) and health behaviors (r = .28, P < .001). Regression analyses support the hypothesis that close network members predicted better coping efficacy (β = .18, P < .05) and health behaviors (β = .19, P < .05). Health-related support also predicted coping efficacy (β = .23, P < .05) and health behaviors (β = .30, P < .01).

Conclusion: African Americans with larger inner networks have more health support, better health behaviors, and higher coping efficacy. The number of close social network members and related health-support promote health through health behaviors and coping efficacy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Berkman LF, Syme SL. Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: A nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. American Journal of Epidemiology. 1979;109:186–204. - PubMed
    1. Berkman LF, Glass T, Brissette I, Seeman TE. From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium. Social Sciences & Medicine. 2000;51:843–857. - PubMed
    1. Kahn R, Antonucci TC. Convoys over the life course: Attachment, roles, and social support. In: Baltes PB, Brim OJ, editors. Life-span development and behavior. Vol. 3. New York: Academic Press; 1980. pp. 253–286.
    1. Uchino BN. Social support and physical health: Understanding the health consequences of relationships. New Haven: Yale University Press; 2004.
    1. Antonucci TC, Akiyama H. Social networks in adult life and a preliminary examination of the convoy model. Journals of Gerontology. 1987;42(5):519–527. - PubMed

Publication types