ArticlePloS one2014
The contribution of social networks to the health and self-management of patients with long-term conditions: a longitudinal study.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 112 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
112 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Assessing the effectiveness of social network interventions for adults with a diagnosis of mental health problems: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of impact.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2022Pooled it
- Conceptualising the social networks of vulnerable children and young people: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Singing for Lung Health-a systematic review of the literature and consensus statement.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Self-Management and Self-Management Support Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Mixed Research Synthesis of Stakeholder Views.PloS one · 2015Pooled it
- Assessing a facilitated social network intervention for health outcomes in lonely and socially isolated people: the pragmatic, cluster-randomized PALS trial.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- A realist evaluation approach to explaining the role of context in the impact of a complex eHealth intervention for improving prevention of cardiovascular disease.BMC health services research · 2020Trial
- Findings from a pilot randomised trial of a social network self-management intervention in COPD.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2020Trial
- Optimising and profiling pre-implementation contexts to create and implement a public health network intervention for tackling loneliness.Implementation science : IS · 2020Trial
- How effective are volunteers at supporting people in their last year of life? A pragmatic randomised wait-list trial in palliative care (ELSA).BMC medicine · 2016Trial
- Psychosocial Interventions, Recovery, and Mediating Mechanisms in Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- A qualitative study of enablers and barriers to healthy eating in adults with Charcot Marie Tooth disease using the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B model.Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- The role of social engagement and support in the association between combined caregiver-cancer survivor status and depressive symptoms.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- Article
- Social Networks and Loneliness in the Blackfeet American Indian Community.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- The Role of Social Ties and Social Support in Maintaining Physical and Mental Well-Being Among Korean Americans Living with Chronic Hepatitis B.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Social network characteristics, self-management behavior, and the mediating role of self-efficacy among diabetes patients: a multicenter cross-sectional study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- 'If You Cut Me, I'd Probably Bleed Coca-Cola': A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Type 2 Diabetes Management Among Chinese Adults in the UK.Journal of diabetes research · 2026Article
- Beyond functional independence: symptom burden and emotional difficulties in pediatric long COVID-a cross-sectional exploratory study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- The role of social networks in supporting self-management in CKD: a narrative synthesis.BMC nephrology · 2025Review
52 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
unlabelledEvidence for the effectiveness of patient education programmes in changing individual self-management behaviour is equivocal. More distal elements of personal social relationships and the availability of social capital at the community level may be key to the mobilisation of resources needed for long-term condition self-management to be effective.
aimTo determine how the social networks of people with long-term conditions (diabetes and heart disease) are associated with health-related outcomes and changes in outcomes over time.
methodsPatients with chronic heart disease (CHD) or diabetes (n = 300) randomly selected from the disease registers of 19 GP practices in the North West of England. Data on personal social networks collected using a postal questionnaire, alongside face-to-face interviewing. Follow-up at 12 months via postal questionnaire using a self-report grid for network members identified at baseline. ANALYSIS: Multiple regression analysis of relationships between health status, self-management and health-economics outcomes, and characteristics of patients' social networks.
resultsFindings indicated that: (1) social involvement with a wider variety of people and groups supports personal self-management and physical and mental well-being; (2) support work undertaken by personal networks expands in accordance with health needs helping people to cope with their condition; (3) network support substitutes for formal care and can produce substantial saving in traditional health service utilisation costs. Health service costs were significantly (p<0.01) reduced for patients receiving greater levels of illness work through their networks.
conclusionsSupport for self-management which achieves desirable policy outcomes should be construed less as an individualised set of actions and behaviour and more as a social network phenomenon. This study shows the need for a greater focus on harnessing and sustaining the capacity of networks and the importance of social involvement with community groups and resources for producing a more desirable and cost-effective way of supporting long term illness management.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.