Social network dynamics in the course of family formation: Results from a mixed-methods longitudinal study

Klärner, Andreas; Keim, Sylvia; Lippe, Holger von der

doi:10.1515/irsr-2016-0026

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The need to belong or an affiliation motive differs in strength between people and can be satisfied in different kinds of relationships such as family relationships or friendships (see Baumeister & Leary, 1995; McClelland, 1986). People are limited in their time and energy, which makes relationships often interdependent (Fiori et al, 2017; Klärner et al, 2016; Rözer et al, 2016). That is, spending time on and maintaining certain relationships usually leads to having less time and energy for other relationships.…”

Section: Friends-family-interdependencementioning

confidence: 99%

Interdependencies between family and friends in daily life: Personality differences and associations with affective well-being across the lifespan

et al. 2022

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Family and friends are central to human life and well-being. Most people maintain both family and friendship relationships and these relationships might show interdependencies that have scarcely been addressed. We examined the relative frequency of daily contact with family and friends (i.e. friends/family-contact) and its link with personality traits and affective well-being. In an experience sampling study with 396 participants ( Mage= 40 years, range 14–88 years, 52% females), we studied how friends/family-contact was associated with Big Five traits and affective well-being across six daily measurements on nine days (average of 55 assessments). Most participants reported more daily contact with family than friends (i.e. held a family orientation), but individual differences were substantial, moderately stable over time, and largely independent from Big Five traits. With advancing age, participants were relatively more often with friends than family. Furthermore, participants were happier when they were with friends compared to family, and this effect was even stronger with higher extraversion. We discuss how examining friends/family-contact extends previous knowledge on personality differences in social relationships, and how this concept yields promising, yet challenging, future directions in personality-relationship associations.

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Section: Friends-family-interdependencementioning

confidence: 99%

Interdependencies between family and friends in daily life: Personality differences and associations with affective well-being across the lifespan

et al. 2022

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“…Parenting duties continue to disproportionately fall to women (Umberson, Pudrovska, and Reczek 2010), affecting women’s daily lives and networks more strongly. New parents often experience an initial reduction in the size of their ego networks (Bost et al 2002), but this rebounds as they are soon drawn into local networks through their children’s activities, typically with residentially proximate parents of similarly aged children (Klärner, Keim, and der Lippe 2016). Friendships formed in child-centered settings may be similar in homophily for both the parents and their children, but this can be quite different from the structurally induced homophily the parents experienced in their childhoods.…”

Section: The Structure Of Opportunities For Friendship and Homophily mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources of Friendship and Structurally Induced Homophily across the Life Course

Thomas

2019

Sociological Perspectives

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How people meet new friends changes throughout life in ways that change the potential for diverse friendships. This study presents results from the first U.S. survey with data on how respondents met their friends, specifically the two nonfamily friends they most often socialize with. The most common sources of new friendships shift across life from the dominance of schooling during youth, to the centrality of work in midlife, to neighbors and voluntary groups in later life. Educational homophily peaks for friendships made in midlife, and is strongest for friendships made in higher education and at work. Racial homophily generally declines as people age but is lowest for men in midlife, while decreasing later for women. Friendship sources largely account for life course changes in racial homophily, but not educational homophily. The racial homophily induced by friendship sources also changes as people age, but in different ways for women and men.

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“…Research on heterosexual parents has demonstrated that social networks tend to change during the transition to parenthood, as individuals often spend more time with and befriend other parents (Cronenwett, 1985; Klärner, Keim, & von der Lippe, 2016). Many mothers seek out online parenting bulletin boards, playgroups, and a variety of online and in-person interactions to gain emotional and instrumental support, community, and companionship, often in response to feelings of isolation (Drentea & Moren-Cross, 2005; Hancock, Cunningham, Lawrence, Zarb, & Zubrick, 2015; Mauthner, 1995).…”

Section: Mothers’ Social Network During the Transition To Parenthoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invisibility and involvement: LGBTQ community connections among plurisexual women during pregnancy and postpartum.

Manley¹,

Goldberg²,

Ross³

2018

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

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Little research has examined the experiences of plurisexual women (i.e., those with attractions to more than one gender) during the transition to parenthood, despite the fact that many plurisexual women intend to become parents. Further, no research has specifically explored plurisexual mothers' LGBTQ community connections, although many studies highlight the importance of social support for (a) sexual minority individuals and (b) mothers. The current study investigated LGBTQ community connection among 29 plurisexual women with different-gender partners during the perinatal period. Participants completed interviews once during late pregnancy, and three times in the year after giving birth. Thematic analysis of the interview data explored how participants conceptualized community, finding that women varied in their level of and desire for engagement in both LGBTQ and parenting communities. Participants' accounts suggested that various barriers restricted their involvement (e.g., practical barriers such as time constraints, community-level barriers such as perceived rejection from LGBTQ communities, and psychological factors such as internalized stigma). At the same time, several women identified LGBTQ others as sources of support during the transition to parenthood, and many expressed a desire for their children to be connected to LGBTQ communities. Findings have implications for how researchers conceptualize community, provide insight into the disconnection between plurisexual women and LGBTQ communities, and suggest possibilities to increase LGBTQ community accessibility during this period.

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Social network dynamics in the course of family formation: Results from a mixed-methods longitudinal study

Cited by 13 publications

References 31 publications

Interdependencies between family and friends in daily life: Personality differences and associations with affective well-being across the lifespan

Interdependencies between family and friends in daily life: Personality differences and associations with affective well-being across the lifespan

Sources of Friendship and Structurally Induced Homophily across the Life Course

Invisibility and involvement: LGBTQ community connections among plurisexual women during pregnancy and postpartum.

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