@article{ref1,
title="A social network analysis approach to alcohol use and co-occurring addictive behavior in young adults",
journal="Addictive behaviors",
year="2015",
author="Meisel, Matthew K. and Clifton, Allan D. and Mackillop, James and Goodie, Adam S.",
volume="51",
number="",
pages="72-79",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: The current study applied egocentric social network analysis (SNA) to investigate the prevalence of addictive behavior and co-occurring substance use in college students' networks. Specifically, we examined individuals' perceptions of the frequency of network members' co-occurring addictive behavior and investigated whether co-occurring addictive behavior is spread evenly throughout networks or is more localized in clusters. We also examined differences in network composition between individuals with varying levels of alcohol use. <br><br>METHOD: The study utilized an egocentric SNA approach in which respondents (&quot;egos&quot;) enumerated 30 of their closest friends, family members, co-workers, and significant others (&quot;alters&quot;) and the relations among alters listed. Participants were 281 undergraduates at a large university in the Southeastern United States. <br><br>RESULTS: Robust associations were observed among the frequencies of gambling, smoking, drinking, and using marijuana by network members. We also found that alters tended to cluster together into two distinct groups: one cluster moderate-to-high on co-occurring addictive behavior and the other low on co-occurring addictive behavior. Lastly, significant differences were present when examining egos' perceptions of alters' substance use between the networks of at-risk, light, and nondrinkers. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide empirical evidence of distinct clustering of addictive behavior among young adults and suggest the promise of social network-based interventions for this cohort.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0306-4603",
doi="10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.07.009",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.07.009"
}