Type of Document	Master's Thesis
Author	Robicheaux, Sally
Author's Email Address	srobic1@lsu.edu
URN	etd-0211103-135707
Title	Perceptions of Social Support within the Context of Religious Homophily: A Social Network Analysis
Degree	Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department	Sociology
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Jeanne S. Hurlbert, Committee Chair John J. Beggs Committee Member Yang Cao Committee Member
Keywords	homophily social support social networks
Date of Defense	2002-12-13
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Recent studies have documented (1) the direct effects of social network context on perceived adequacy of social support and (2) the indirect effects of social network context, through social support, on psychological well-being. This thesis extends that research by asking how religious homophily in social networks affects individual perceptions of support and, through that, psychological well-being (depression). Results indicate that being embedded in a network with greater religious homophily increases perceived support, but this relationship holds only for instrumental support. Additionally, both instrumental and expressive support exert significant affects on psychological well-being: greater perceived adequacy of support (both instrumental and expressive) decreases reports of depression. These findings suggest that future research in this area should explore more fully how specific types of homophily affect social support and depression.
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