Soli Dubash

Abstract

Better understanding the social patterning of personal control beliefs is crucial for research on health and inequality. In this study, I argue for and explain an association between social capital and mastery in a national sample. How, for whom, and to what extent do people who report more occupationally diverse ties also report a stronger sense of control over life outcomes? Using a position generator approach to social capital, the 2008 Canadian General Social Survey, and regression models, I test three hypotheses about total and gendered social capitals across the categorical boundaries of respondent gender, visible minority, and foreign-born status. I conclude this approach to the classic question of who benefits from diverse social networks by suggesting directions for future research on the interplay between social networks, stress, and well-being.

Abstract

Who is granted the privilege of knowing things? Drawing from status characteristics theory and homophily, this article examines how gender structures epistemic authority in personal advice networks. Using three waves of the UCNets panel, we analyze longitudinal changes in who is named, who is retained, and who transitions into or out of advice-giving roles. Though women and men are more likely to name same-gender alters as advisors, homophily alone is insufficient for explaining advice-giving as network dynamics are asymmetric and operate differently across genders. Men are more likely to retain male advisors and drop female advisors over time, while women more commonly transition female advisors into other network roles and recruit advice-givers from the women already present in their networks. We propose next steps for understanding how advice-giving sustains gender inequality by structuring not only what we know, but whose knowledge counts.

Abstract

This study advances the racial occupational segregation literature by modelling the intersections of race, gender and place. Analysis of confidential 2021 Canadian Census microdata finds that approximately one-quarter of Black men or women would have to change occupations for distributions to be similar to their White counterparts. We then augment the largely descriptive Black–White occupational segregation research by using counterfactual conditional segregation techniques. Compared to men, the occupational segregation of Black and White women is explained more by compositional differences in educational attainments, immigrant status and language use. However, the importance of place also cannot be ignored. Language differences between groups matter little in Toronto but are more important for occupational segregation in Montreal. Large Black–White differences in the percentage foreign-born also play a crucial role in explaining women’s levels of occupational segregation in Montreal. These findings emphasize the gender and place variations in Black–White inequalities.

Abstract

Has sociological research attracted the attention of other fields, or are we simply talking to ourselves? In this article we assess the interdisciplinary relevance of select sociological research through a big-data bibliographic analysis of all 13 journals published by the American Sociological Association (ASA) between 2000–2023 inclusive using the complete Web of Science Raw XML Database. We find that the interdisciplinary relevance of ASA journals is steadily increasing, and that since 2002 ASA journals have been consistently cited more outside of sociology than within it. However, we also find variation across journals and over time. We speculate about the role of current affairs, intellectual trends, and journal models in explaining sociology’s interdisciplinary relevance. While scholars may disagree about what this means for the prospects of the discipline, the interdisciplinary appeal of sociological knowledge shows no signs of decline.

Abstract

Background: Depression symptomology (DSx) and insufficient Physical Activity (PA) are among the leading causes of illness, and major contributors to global public health burden. Reviews and meta-analyses indicate that DSx and PA cause each other, yet most studies conducted use data and analyses which cannot specify their bidirectional associations across the life course.

Method: The present study estimates dynamic panel models with fixed effects through structural equation models with full-information maximum likelihood estimation (ML-SEM) based on 5 waves (1986–2011) of the Americans’ Changing Lives (ACL) panel. This is a nationally representative probability sample of 3499 non-institutionalized U.S. adults ages 25 and older in 1986. Respondents participated in an average of 3.29 waves, with 67.84% participating in at least 3 waves, and 27.26% participating in all 5 waves. Models adjust for age, partner status, social integration, activity limitations, and serious financial problems. Data are available from the ICPSR (4690).

Results: Estimates from ML-SEM reveal negative and significant bidirectional cross-sectional associations between DSx and PA. Models also indicate a negative and significant cross-lagged association from DSx to PA, but not from cross-lagged PA to DSx. On both sides, earlier levels are significantly associated with future levels of PA and DSx.

Conclusions: This study is the first to use a causal inference technique which adjusts for all time-invariant confounders while modelling the bidirectional linkages between depression symptoms and physical activity over 25-years of adulthood. It supports literature showing a consistent cross-sectional relationship, and advances understanding on how DSx earlier in the adult life course may influence PA as people age.

Abstract

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) has considerable public health benefits. Positive aspects of the interpersonal environment are known to affect PA, yet few studies have investigated whether negative dimensions also influence PA. This study examines the link between changing social network negativity and PA, net of stable confounding characteristics of persons and their environments.

Method: Polling respondents in the San Francisco Bay Area over three waves (2015–2018), the UCNets project provides a panel study of social networks and health for two cohorts of adults. Respondents were recruited through stratified random address sampling, and supplemental sampling was conducted through Facebook advertising and referral. With weights, the sample is approximately representative of Californians aged 21–30 and 50–70. Personal social networks were measured using multiple name-generating questions. Fixed effects ordered logistic regression models provide parameter estimates.

Results: Younger adults experience significant decreases in PA when network negativity increases, while changes in other network characteristics (e.g. support, size) did not significantly predict changes in PA. No corresponding association was found for older adults. Results are net of baseline covariate levels, stable social and individual differences, and select time-varying characteristics of persons and their environments.

Conclusion: Leveraging longitudinal data from two cohorts of adults, this study extends understanding on interpersonal environments and PA by considering the social costs embedded in social networks. This is the first study to investigate how changes in network negativity pattern PA change. Interventions that help young adults resolve or manage interpersonal conflicts may have the benefit of helping to promote healthy lifestyle choices.

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between cognitive processing and mastery. While scholars have called for the integration of sociological and cognitive analyses of mastery, sociological research has focused almost exclusively on mapping its social correlates. As a result, sociologists have relied on untested and underspecified assumptions about cognition to explain the efficacy of mastery. Taking an interdisciplinary approach integrating research on mastery, dual-process models of cognition, and intersectionality, we specify and test the hypothesis that deliberate thinking dispositions are associated with a greater sense of control over one’s life chances and assess whether this relationship varies across different intersections of social positions. Regression results from survey data in a diverse student sample (N = 982) suggest a positive correlation between deliberate cognitive style and personal mastery. However, results from a quantitative intersectional analysis demonstrate that this relationship does not hold for East Asian women.

Abstract

In recent years, sociologists have lamented the fact that interdisciplinary exchange regarding Culture and Cognition has been largely asymmetrical. However, to date, no sociologist has empirically established the degree of interdisciplinary diffusion of Culture and Cognition scholarship. We add empirical detail to these discussions through a bibliographic analysis of 16 key Culture and Cognition articles, analyzing their citation patterns both within and beyond Sociology. Within Sociology, we find that citations of Culture and Cognition scholarship tend to cluster within culture, generalist, and theory journals. In terms of interdisciplinary diffusion, we find that while engagement with Culture and Cognition scholarship is indeed concentrated within sociology, almost half of the citations of this work come from other disciplines. This suggests that, while not entirely incorrect, the characterizations of Culture and Cognition’s interdisciplinary uptake have been somewhat exaggerated.

Abstract

As relationships change and people change the kinds of support they provide, name generators that collect information about ties that provide particular kinds of support at repeated points of time may not effectively capture ties that are active but whose roles have changed. This article shows that a significant minority of network members change the kinds of support they provide. They either discontinue a support previously provided or provide a new type of support. We examine the implications of this finding for longitudinal studies of support networks based on single name generators and show that this practice can result in frequent misperceptions of network membership change.