Work

Chains of Affection: The Structure of Adolescent Romantic and Sexual Networks

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: This article describes the structure of the adolescent romantic and sexual network in a population of over 800 adolescents residing in a midsized town in the midwestern United States. Precise images and measures of network structure are derived from reports of relationships that occurred over a period of 18 months between 1993 and 1995. The study offers a comparison of the structural characteristics of the observed network to simulated networks conditioned on the distribution of ties; the observed structure reveals networks characterized by longer contact chains and fewer cycles than expected. This article identifies the micromechanisms that generate networks with structural features similar to the observed network. Implications for disease transmission dynamics and social policy are explored.

Source: American Journal of Sociology

DOI: 10.1086/386272

Authors: Peter S. Bearman, James Moody, Katherine Stovel

Institutions: Columbia University, The Ohio State University, University of Washington

Language: English

Topic: Complex Network Analysis Techniques

Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

OpenAlex ID: W2147427313

FWCI: 20.93

Cites: 56

Cited by: 815

Related to: 10