Validation of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale (“LSNS-6”) and its associations with suicidality among older adults in China

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Abstract

Objective

This present study aims to estimate the structural validity, internal consistency reliability of the LSNS-6 and examine the associations between the LSNS-6 and suicidal outcomes among mainland Chinese older adults.

Methods

This validation study used a big representative sample (N = 2819) of older adults in Beijing from the Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were applied to examine the factor structures of the Chinese version of LSNS-6. Internal consistency reliability of the LSNS-6 was examined by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the corrected item-total correlation. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the associations between the LSNS-6 and late-life death wishes, suicidal ideation in mainland Chinese.

Findings

This present study showed good internal consistency and consistent factor structure of the LSNS-6 as well as its subscales. The present data demonstrated the LSNS-6 could be a useful tool for assessing social networks among older mainland Chinese. Interestingly, among the mainland Chinese, late-life suicidality was highly associated with the LSNS-6 family subscale, rather than the friends subscale.

Conclusion

The LSNS-6 could be a useful tool for assessing social networks among older mainland Chinese. In addition, suggestion is made to improve social networks, especially in family bonds and support, as a promising strategy in reducing late-life suicide risks in mainland China.

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Most cited references 16

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From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium.

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It is widely recognized that social relationships and affiliation have powerful effects on physical and mental health. When investigators write about the impact of social relationships on health, many terms are used loosely and interchangeably including social networks, social ties and social integration. The aim of this paper is to clarify these terms using a single framework. We discuss: (1) theoretical orientations from diverse disciplines which we believe are fundamental to advancing research in this area; (2) a set of definitions accompanied by major assessment tools; and (3) an overarching model which integrates multilevel phenomena. Theoretical orientations that we draw upon were developed by Durkheim whose work on social integration and suicide are seminal and John Bowlby, a psychiatrist who developed attachment theory in relation to child development and contemporary social network theorists. We present a conceptual model of how social networks impact health. We envision a cascading causal process beginning with the macro-social to psychobiological processes that are dynamically linked together to form the processes by which social integration effects health. We start by embedding social networks in a larger social and cultural context in which upstream forces are seen to condition network structure. Serious consideration of the larger macro-social context in which networks form and are sustained has been lacking in all but a small number of studies and is almost completely absent in studies of social network influences on health. We then move downstream to understand the influences network structure and function have on social and interpersonal behavior. We argue that networks operate at the behavioral level through four primary pathways: (1) provision of social support; (2) social influence; (3) on social engagement and attachment; and (4) access to resources and material goods.

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Focus on psychometrics. Aspects of item analysis.

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Differential associations of social support and social connectedness with structural features of social networks and the health status of older adults.

John A. Heaney, Sato Ashida (2008)

This study explores the extent to which the constructs of social support and social connectedness differ in terms of their associations with the structural characteristics of social networks and the health status of older adults. Trained interviewers conducted 126 face-to-face interviews with community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 85 years. Having frequent contact with network members was positively associated with social support. Network density and having network members living in close proximity were positively associated with perceived social connectedness. Furthermore, perceived social connectedness had a significant positive association with health status, whereas social support did not. Perceived social connectedness may be relatively more important to the health and well-being of older adults than the perceived availability of social support. Efforts to enhance older adults' social relationships can be focused on developing friends and companions, allowing them to feel socially engaged in society.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Qingsong Chang: Role: ConceptualizationRole: Data curationRole: Formal analysisRole: MethodologyRole: SoftwareRole: ValidationRole: Writing – original draftRole: Writing – review & editing

Feng Sha: Role: MethodologyRole: Writing – review & editing

Chee Hon Chan: Role: MethodologyRole: Writing – review & editing

Paul S. F. Yip:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1596-4120

Role: ConceptualizationRole: Funding acquisitionRole: MethodologyRole: SupervisionRole: Writing – review & editing

Keith M. Harris: Role: Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): PLoS One

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): PLoS ONE

Journal ID (publisher-id): plos

Journal ID (pmc): plosone

Title: PLoS ONE

Publisher: Public Library of Science (San Francisco, CA USA )

ISSN (Electronic): 1932-6203

Publication date (Electronic): 2 August 2018

Publication date Collection: 2018

Volume: 13

Issue: 8

Electronic Location Identifier: e0201612

Affiliations

[1 ] Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

[2 ] Hong Kong Jockey Club Center for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

University of Queensland, AUSTRALIA

Author notes

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

* E-mail: sfpyip@ 123456hku.hk

Author information

Paul S. F. Yip http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1596-4120

Article

Publisher ID: PONE-D-18-01938

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201612

PMC ID: 6072030

PubMed ID: 30071067

SO-VID: ad943c22-dab8-4958-ae07-5a9ddd9cccb2

License:

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

History

Date received : 19 January 2018

Date accepted : 18 July 2018

Page count

Figures: 1, Tables: 4, Pages: 11

Funding

The research is supported by the Strategic Public Policy Research (HKU7003-SPPR-12) and a GRF 106160261.

Custom metadata

Data Availability Data used in this study are third-party data, owned and collected by China Research Center on Aging (CRCA). The dataset will be available upon request from CRCA for researchers (including the authors in this study) who want to access the data. All the researchers should report the key information such as study title, study aims, variables proposed, researchers and affiliations to CRCA in the application for permission to access the data. CRCA will permit the researchers who meet their criteria. The contact information for application are as follows: Contact Address: China Research Center on Aging, Zhongcai Building, Guanganmen South Street 48#, Xicheng District, Beijing, China. Postcode: 100054; Email Address: crca@ 123456crca.cn . We clearly confirm that others would be able to access these data in the same manner as the authors in this study, and the authors did not have any special access privileges that others would not have.

Validation of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale (“LSNS-6”) and its associations with suicidality among older adults in China

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Abstract

Objective

Methods

Findings

Conclusion

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Most cited references 16

From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium.

Focus on psychometrics. Aspects of item analysis.

Differential associations of social support and social connectedness with structural features of social networks and the health status of older adults.

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