The dynamics of intergenerational closure and family networks of social cohesion

Michael Windzio; Patrick Kaminski

doi:10.3389/fsoc.2023.933216

The dynamics of intergenerational closure and family networks of social cohesion

Front Sociol. 2023 Mar 2:8:933216. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.933216. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Michael Windzio¹, Patrick Kaminski^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ SOCIUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
² Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States.
³ Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States.

Abstract

We investigate the correlation of ties among school-children's parents with violence in schools, and two mechanisms of intergenerational closure (IC). Coleman described ties among parents of befriended children as IC. Until now, IC indicated social capital in schools and neighborhoods, but existing evidence is rather ambiguous and does not utilize network data. According to "top-down." IC, children establish network ties because of the acquaintance among their parents. "Bottom-up" IC implies that children make friends first and then their parents get involved. We use longitudinal social network data from k = 10 school classes and N = 238 adolescents and disentangle the two different dynamics of IC by applying Bayesian stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOMs) for network evolution. SAOMs show positive "top-down" and "bottom-up" effects on IC, with the latter being considerably stronger.

Keywords: families; intergenerational closure; school networks; social cohesion; stochastic actor oriented model.

Grants and funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), grant number WI 3432/1-1.