How the structure of egocentric Facebook networks is associated with exposure to risky content for maltreated versus comparison youth

Sonya Negriff

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 109, issue C

Abstract: The current study examined the size and connectedness of egocentric Facebook networks as predictors of exposure to risky content among a sample of maltreated and comparison youth (n = 118). Social network measures (i.e., size, density, average degree, percent of isolates) were computed from the mutual friend list. A content analysis of posts by friends captured references to alcohol use, marijuana use, partying, and sexual content. Multiple-group path models showed that the larger size of the Facebook network and higher average degree predicted references to marijuana use only for comparison youth, whereas for maltreated youth a higher percent of isolates predicted more references to sexual content by Facebook friends. Structural measures of online networks may have potential utility for identifying those at risk.

Keywords: Social network analysis; Facebook; Risk behavior; Maltreatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740919311466
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:109:y:2020:i:c:s0190740919311466

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104700

Access Statistics for this article

Children and Youth Services Review is currently edited by Duncan Lindsey

More articles in Children and Youth Services Review from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().