Conference Agenda

Background: Friendship networks are critical for well-being, yet research on how they are formed in different contexts in underdeveloped countries like Ethiopia is limited. This study uses social network and learning theories to explore friendship formation and its effects on psychological well-being at Addis Ababa University.

Methods: We collected cross-sectional data from 371 first-year students having 3,493 friends. We explored the sociocultural context of friendship formations and visualized them using visual software. Additionally, we tested whether the various aspects of these networks affect psychological well-being using multiple and hierarchical regression modeling in R.

Results: We found a dominantly homophilic and homogenous friendship network among students who exhibit ethnolinguistically and religiously diverse backgrounds. The similarities are formed based on gender, ethnicity, and region. We prove that the key aspects of friendship networks, such as religious and regional homophily, friendship duration and type, frequency of contact, and tie quality, significantly predict psychological well-being. Moreover, different dimensions of friendship networks influence psychological well-being in various ways, and such effects are significantly clustered around the students.

Conclusion and Implications: This study highlights the formations and effects of friendship networks and underscores the need for future research to consider these dynamics. The key findings provide valuable insights about friendship network contexts that can assist policymakers in fostering inter-group connectivity among students, thereby mitigating social segregation and improving psychosocial well-being. Future research should also explore the mechanisms of homophilic friendships and strategies for promoting inter-group networks to reduce ethnoreligious tensions at the university and national level.

Background

Venue-based network analysis has previously been used to tailor HIV prevention messaging among sexual minorities, but is rarely combined with molecular network data.

Methods

From 07/2019-12/2022, persons with HIV in Mexico City participated in a survey (asking where they met sex partners) and donated a blood. HIV partial pol sequences obtained via Sanger sequencing were used to infer a molecular transmission network (pairwise genetic distance threshold <1.5% using Seguro HIV-TRACE). Modularity-based community detection was applied to derive communities composed of venues and individuals. Venues were classified by individual-level sexual risk (sexual minority identity, drug use during sex, and <100% condom use). A value of ‘1’ was assigned to each (index averaging 0-3). Three regression models were run with the risk index, cross-community interaction, and their product (i.e. risk of transmission for each community) as outcomes, incorporating clinical, social network (Kleinberg’s authority centrality scores), and demographic factors.

Results

In total, 1,101 participants named 423 venues. Among nodes with >1 tie, 69 communities were derived from 216 individuals and 130 venues. Models showed when communities contain more individuals connected to popular places and in HIV clusters, they foster cross-community interactions among communities with high-risk. When communities primarily contain more popular venues, they have lower risks and a lower likelihood of cross-community interactions. Finally, viral load, age, and drug usage were positively associated with risk for a community.

Conclusion

Venue communities attended by individuals who are socially influential and embedded in HIV clusters may be efficient places to engage in HIV interventions.

Regular HIV testing and immediate initiation on antiretroviral therapy for those living with HIV have been shown to reduce HIV incidence in serodiscordant partnerships, where one partner is living with HIV and one is not. However, population-level HIV test and treat strategies have shown less impact than expected. One hypothesis to partially explain this reduced impact is sexual network-level structure, and specifically homophily in HIV testing and treatment, wherein those accessing HIV testing and treatment are more likely to be partnered with one another than expected under random mixing. We assess this hypothesis in heterosexual household couples within 21 Population-based HIV Impact Assessment surveys conducted in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2015-2023. Individuals in couples with available self-reported data on HIV testing history, and biological data on HIV status, presence of antiretroviral therapy, and viral suppression, were categorized into “engaged” and “unengaged” with HIV testing and treatment. We find that HIV testing and treatment engagement between individuals in household couples is correlated (R=0.33). We will assess the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics can explain this correlation using actor-partner interdependence models, comparing a null model with no actor- or partner- effects to models with actor-, partner-, and actor-partner effects included. The extent to which couples-level homophily in HIV testing and treatment can be explained by sociodemographic characteristics will determine whether this homophily needs to be accounted for above and beyond anticipated mixing patterns by age and other sociodemographic characteristics, and can inform sexual network modeling strategies.

Background: As part of an interdisciplinary research project aimed at improving leprosy prevention and control strategies, we conducted a whole social network analysis (SNA) of one village in a leprosy-endemic area in the Comoros.

Methods: This mixed methods SNA combined ethnographic qualitative data collection techniques with a quantitative door-to-door survey and detailed spatial mapping. The integration of the first two data collection methods is the focus of this presentation. Two different questionnaires were administered: one at household level and one to all individuals aged 10 and above, residing in the village. Aside from name-generators regarding several types of “close contacts”, questions were also asked on the regularity of specific contacts, profession or school/university being attended, places of praying, mobility (as in past places lived in within the village and beyond) and types of alters who raised ego (e.g. aunt, sister…).

Expected results / Discussion: A total of 4850 nodes were registered, including both members of the 522 households in the village and their contacts, who could live outside of the village. Among these, 1728 village residents participated in the individual survey. We will provide some qualitative and quantitative results on the social network’s structure and characteristics, such as a social description of the population, centrality and cohesion characteristics based on different definitions of “close contacts”, mobility patterns, etc. We will formulate preliminary conclusions and welcome discussions with attendees to improve our ongoing analysis.

Implementation of social network studies applied to health problems in low- and middle-income countries remains challenging. As part of an interdisciplinary study designed to better understand the observed patterns of leprosy occurrence in the Union of the Comoros, we conducted a mixed-methods whole social network analysis (SNA) in one village. While implementing the study, we kept track of the process, specific challenges, and lessons learned that could inform similar studies. We classified the challenges into four categories. The first category was linked to general implementation, e.g., coordinating data collection activities across teams, and cross-collaboration across settings and disciplines. Second, we encountered methodological challenges related to SNA, including the need to secure accuracy of name generators, obtaining names from research participants in a context influenced by historical mistrust, developing and linking data collection protocols in Network Canvas software, and processing large amounts of data in different datasets. The third category consisted of context-specific challenges, including the introduction of data collection procedures (tablets, software, map making) among local data collectors, determining relevant relationships to explore in the questionnaire, and finding culture-sensitive ways of inquiring into these relationships. Fourth, ethical considerations related to obtaining consent for SNA, integrating different levels of consent across datasets, participation of minors, and exploring leprosy-related questions without reinforcing stigma were also addressed. We intend to discuss examples of these issues and end the presentation with open questions for the exchange of experiences in different projects and settings.