Social Network Type and Long-Term Condition Management Support: A Cross-Sectional Study in Six European Countries

PLoS One. 2016 Aug 18;11(8):e0161027. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161027. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Background: Network types and characteristics have been linked to the capacity of inter-personal environments to mobilise and share resources. The aim of this paper is to examine personal network types in relation to long-term condition management in order to identify the properties of network types most likely to provide support for those with a long-term condition.

Method: A cross-sectional observational survey of people with type 2 diabetes using interviews and questionnaires was conducted between April and October 2013 in six European countries: Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Norway, United Kingdom, and Netherlands. 1862 people with predominantly lower socio-economic status were recruited from each country. We used k-means clustering analysis to derive the network types, and one-way analysis of variance and multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore the relationship between network type socio-economic characteristics, self-management monitoring and skills, well-being, and network member work.

Results: Five network types of people with long-term conditions were identified: restricted, minimal family, family, weak ties, and diverse. Restricted network types represented those with the poorest self-management skills and were associated with limited support from social network members. Restricted networks were associated with poor indicators across self-management capacity, network support, and well-being. Diverse networks were associated with more enhanced self-management skills amongst those with a long-term condition and high level of emotional support. It was the three network types which had a large number of network members (diverse, weak ties, and family) where healthcare utilisation was most likely to correspond to existing health needs.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that type of increased social involvement is linked to greater self-management capacity and potentially lower formal health care costs indicating that diverse networks constitute the optimal network type as a policy in terms of the design of LTCM interventions and building support for people with LTCs.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bulgaria
  • Chronic Disease / psychology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / psychology
  • Emotional Adjustment
  • Female
  • Greece
  • Health Status
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Self Care / psychology
  • Social Support*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Spain
  • United Kingdom

Grants and funding

This research has been funded by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) Wessex and EU FP7 Collaborative Research Grant—EU-WISE. CLAHRC Wessex is a partnership between Wessex NHS organisations and partners and the University of Southampton and is part of the National Institute for Health Research. EU-WISE is an integrated project under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR.