The Relational Vulnerability of People Experiencing Multiple Exclusion Homelessness (MEH) in Spain.

This paper draws on research analyzing the emotional and relational impacts of poverty and exclusion on charities' clients in Spain since the 2008-2009 economic crisis, including people experiencing multiple exclusion homelessness (MEH). The study adopts a mixed-methods approach in which twenty in-depth cases were collected in different geographical locations, including twelve cases experiencing MEH. Unlike other disadvantaged groups, those affected by MEH suffer material shortages, traumatic experiences, psychological disorders, physical illnesses, and a high degree of relational vulnerability, as reflected in the structure and composition of their personal networks, which tend to be smaller in size, with just a few weak and temporary contacts, and with care professionals playing an important role. These charity users often need long-term socio-sanitary care, which challenges public and private health-care systems. Therefore, our contribution to this Special Issue is directed toward improving understanding of the relational characteristics of severely excluded people, how social support affects their personal networks, and the challenges this assistance poses to care services.

Social Networks and Knowledge Transmission Strategies among Baka Children, Southeastern Cameroon.

The dynamics of knowledge transmission and acquisition, or how different aspects of culture are passed from one individual to another and how they are acquired and embodied by individuals, are central to understanding cultural evolution. In small-scale societies, cultural knowledge is largely acquired early in life through observation, imitation, and other forms of social learning embedded in daily experiences. However, little is known about the pathways through which such knowledge is transmitted, especially during middle childhood and adolescence. This study presents new empirical data on cultural knowledge transmission during childhood. Data were collected among the Baka, a forager-farmer society in southeastern Cameroon. We conducted structured interviews with children between 5 and 16 years of age (n = 58 children; 177 interviews, with children being interviewed 1-6 times) about group composition during subsistence activities. Children's groups were generally diverse, although children tended to perform subsistence activities primarily without adults and with same-sex companions. Group composition varied from one subsistence activity to another, which suggests that the flow of knowledge might also vary according to the activity performed. Analysis of the social composition of children's subsistence groups shows that vertical and oblique transmission of subsistence-related knowledge might not be predominant during middle childhood and adolescence. Rather, horizontal transmission appears to be the most common knowledge transmission strategy used by Baka children during middle childhood and adolescence, highlighting the importance of other children in the transmission of knowledge.

Efectos de la estructura de las redes personales en la red sociocéntrica de una cohorte de estudiantes en transición de la enseñanza secundaria a la universidad / Effects of the Structure of Personal Networks in the Acquaintances Network of a Cohort of Students in Transition from High School to University

Resumen En este trabajo se examina la transición normativa de una cohorte de estudiantes de Enseñanza Secundaria de Alcalá de Guadaíra, que empiezan sus estudios universitarios en Sevilla. Se analiza la evolución de la red social de la cohorte de estudiantes junto con los cambios que experimentan en la composición y la estructura de sus redes personales. El seguimiento longitudinal se desarrolla a lo largo de 17 meses en los que los encuestados (n = 57) empiezan a distribuir su tiempo entre la localidad en la que residen y la ciudad en la que estudian, de modo que en su conjunto aumentan la frecuencia de los viajes de ida y vuelta a la capital. Este es uno de los primeros estudios que recoge información de las redes personales de los miembros de una red social completa, combinando ambos indicadores en los análisis. Con el modelo de simulación longitudinal de redes sociales, utilizando el software RSIENA, comprobamos que la intermediación promedio de las redes personales tiene un efecto significativo en la evolución de la red social de los estudiantes que terminan la Enseñanza Secundaria. La intermediación promedio también parece incidir en la tasa de cambio del sentido de comunidad con la ciudad de residencia. Concluimos proponiendo que el desacoplamiento de las relaciones, junto con la competencia entre relaciones múltiples activas, constituyen dos mecanismos clave de los cambios en la estructura de las redes personales en proceso de transición ecológica.

Abstract In this work the normative transition of a cohort of secondary school students from Alcalá de Guadaíra that start college education in Seville is examined. The evolution of the social network of the cohort of students together with the changes experienced in the composition and structure of their personal networks is analyzed. The longitudinal tracking is developed over 17 months when respondents (n = 57) begin to distribute their time between the town in which they live and the city where they study, so there is an increase in the frequency of commuting to the capital. This is one of the first studies collecting information from the personal networks of the members of a complete social network, and combining both personal and sociocentric indicators in the analysis. With models for the longitudinal analysis of social networks, using the RSIENA software, we found that average betweenness of personal networks has a significant effect on the social network of students completing secondary education. The average betweenness also seems to influence the change rate in the sense of community with the city of residence. We conclude by proposing that the decoupling of relations, as well as active competition between multiple relationships, are two key mechanisms of changes in the structure of personal networks in the process of ecological transition.

The dual role of friendship and antipathy relations in the marginalization of overweight children in their peer networks: The TRAILS Study.

Weight-based stigma compromises the social networks of overweight children. To date, research on the position of overweight children in their peer network has focused only on friendship relations, and not on negative relationship dimensions. This study examined how overweight was associated with relations of friendship and dislike (antipathies) in the peer group. Exponential random graph models (ERGM) were used to examine friendship and antipathy relations among overweight children and their classmates, using a sub-sample from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (N = 504, M age 11.4). Findings showed that overweight children were less likely to receive friendship nominations, and were more likely to receive dislike nominations. Overweight children were also more likely than their non-overweight peers to nominate classmates that they disliked. Together, the results indicate that positive and negative peer relations are impacted by children's weight status, and are relevant to addressing the social marginalization of overweight children.

Personality as a moderator of context effects on academic achievement.

We investigated whether personality moderates group influence of classmates on academic achievement and whether these so-called context effects can be attributed to peer pressure. The sample consisted of 2498 students in their first year of Dutch secondary education. The data were analyzed by a two-level (students within classes) analysis, separately for boys (n=1033, in 92 classes) and girls (n=1465, in 119 classes). For both sexes, we found a context effect on Dutch language achievement but not on mathematics achievement. Emotional Stability appeared a moderator of this context effect but for girls only. The results suggest further that peer pressure is not a likely mechanism of group influence of classmates on academic achievement.