Social Network Dynamics and Psychological Adjustment among University Students
Abstract: The present
study investigated the
social network structure
in a university
class and how it
changed over time. In addition, student rankings of social status in the class based on different network centrality measures
were compared, and
associations between students’
social status and psychological
adjustment were evaluated. One
university seminar class in which ten juniors and ten
seniors were enrolled
was followed for
six months. Although
the class network consisted of some disconnected subgroups at
baseline, it became a single group at follow-up. In addition to
these structural changes, measures of
network integration (density and
transitivity) also increased from baseline to follow-up. Comparisons of
centrality measures indicated that the information centrality
measure best captured
the network infrastructure compared
to the betweenness, closeness,
and degree centrality
measures. Furthermore, among
the centrality measures, information
centrality had the
most stable positive
association with psychological adjustment. Theoretical
and practical implications
of these peer
network dynamics and adjustment issues are discussed.
Author: Yasuyuki Fukukawa
Journal Code: jppsikologisosialgg130004
