School of Psychology, Massey University, Manawatu, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2018 Sep 20;73(7):1244-1249. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbw126.
The study aimed to validate Wenger's empirically derived support network typology of responses to the Practitioner Assessment of Network Type (PANT) in an older New Zealander population. The configuration of network types was tested across ethnic groups and in the total sample.
Data (N = 872, Mage = 67 years, SDage = 1.56 years) from the 2006 wave of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement study were analyzed using latent profile analysis. In addition, demographic differences among the emerging profiles were tested.
Competing models were evaluated based on a range of fit criteria, which supported a five-profile solution. The "locally integrated," "community-focused," "local self-contained," "private-restricted," and "friend- and family-dependent" network types were identified as latent profiles underlying the data. There were no differences between Māori and non-Māori in final profile configurations. However, Māori were more likely to report integrated network types.
Findings confirm the validity of Wenger's network types. However, the level to which participants endorse accessibility of family, frequency of interactions, and community engagement can be influenced by sample and contextual characteristics. Future research using the PANT items should empirically verify and derive the social support network types, rather than use a predefined scoring system.
本研究旨在验证 Wenger 基于经验得出的支持网络类型学，以回应从业者评估网络类型（PANT）在新西兰老年人群体中的应用。本研究在整个样本中以及不同种族群体中检验了网络类型的构成。
使用潜在剖面分析对来自 2006 年新西兰健康、工作和退休研究的第 2 波数据（N=872，平均年龄=67 岁，标准差=1.56 岁）进行分析。此外，还测试了新兴特征之间的人口统计学差异。
基于一系列拟合标准评估了竞争模型，支持五剖面解决方案。确定了“局部整合”、“社区关注”、“本地自给自足”、“私人受限”和“朋友和家庭依赖”等网络类型为数据潜在特征。毛利人和非毛利人在最终特征配置上没有差异。然而，毛利人更有可能报告整合的网络类型。
研究结果证实了 Wenger 网络类型的有效性。然而，参与者对家庭的可及性、互动频率和社区参与程度的认可程度可能受到样本和背景特征的影响。未来使用 PANT 项目的研究应该通过实证验证和推导出社会支持网络类型，而不是使用预定义的评分系统。
