Effects of social network characteristics on mental health outcomes among United States Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers

  • Vest, B. M., Goodell, E. M. A., Homish, D. L., & Homish, G. G. (2022). Effects of social network characteristics on mental health outcomes among United States Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers. Community Mental Health Journal, 58, 1268–1278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00935-1
  • Social support matters for mental health. This study identified which characteristics of social networks (e.g., overall size of network, composition of network, quality of the network, substance use in network) matter for mental health outcomes – specifically, anger, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 421 National Guard/Reserve Soldiers (353 men) identified up to 24 social network ties (size of social network), described the characteristics of those relationships (e.g., military affiliated, close tie, ties that involve substance use), and self-reported mental health symptoms. Data collected were used to assess the association between social network characteristics and mental health outcomes while accounting for Soldier characteristics (i.e., sex, age, years served, and deployment history). More close social ties were generally associated with better mental health. Conversely, social ties that involved illicit drug use and drinking were associated with greater symptom severity.

DOI

Report Link

Authors

Publication Type

Focus Terms

Branch of Service

Military Affiliation

Subject Affiliation

Population

Methodology

Journal

Keywords

Newsletter Date

URL

Research summaries convey terminology used by the scientists who authored the original research article; some terminology may not align with the federal government's mandated language for certain constructs.

Cookie Preferences

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience. Please review our Privacy Statement for more information.

Necessary cookies: Essential for the website to function properly.

Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website.