Parents’ networks: Egocentric networks and unique and shared sources of social support

Abstract

Egocentric social network instruments typically require independently sampled respondents to identify up to five social network alters. When collecting egocentric data from dyads (e.g., mothers and fathers), shared and unique network alters can be identified. The present manuscript describes a new way of using egocentric data collected from related pairs using Multilevel Modeling (MLM). As a case study, the egocentric social support networks of twenty pairs of parents of children with cancer (N = 40) will be analyzed to illustrate how this technique can be used to model the characteristics of each network alter and to answer research questions regarding sex differences in received social support networks.