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AIDS and Behavior
Published in: AIDS and Behavior 12/2017

01-12-2017 | Original Paper

Can Burt’s Theory of Structural Holes be Applied to Study Social Support Among Mid-Age Female Sex Workers? A Multi-Site Egocentric Network Study in China

Author: Hongjie Liu

Published in: AIDS and Behavior | Issue 12/2017

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Abstract

The epidemic of HIV/AIDS continues to spread among older adults and mid-age female sex workers (FSWs) over 35 years old. We used egocentric network data collected from three study sites in China to examine the applicability of Burt’s Theory of Social Holes to study social support among mid-age FSWs. Using respondent-driven sampling, 1245 eligible mid-age FSWs were interviewed. Network structural holes were measured by network constraint and effective size. Three types of social networks were identified: family networks, workplace networks, and non-FSW networks. A larger effective size was significantly associated with a higher level of social support [regression coefficient (β) 5.43–10.59] across the three study samples. In contrast, a greater constraint was significantly associated with a lower level of social support (β −9.33 to −66.76). This study documents the applicability of the Theory of Structural Holes in studying network support among marginalized populations, such as FSWs.
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Metadata
Title
Can Burt’s Theory of Structural Holes be Applied to Study Social Support Among Mid-Age Female Sex Workers? A Multi-Site Egocentric Network Study in China
Author
Hongjie Liu
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
AIDS and Behavior / Issue 12/2017
Print ISSN: 1090-7165
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3254
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1880-9

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