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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Hum. Dyn.
Sec. Social Networks
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fhumd.2024.1370106

“There Are Support resources, but They Are Kind of Hidden”: Social Network Analysis of College Students’ Support Systems in Relation to Type 1 Diabetes Management

Provisionally accepted
Ekaterina Malova Ekaterina Malova *
  • Simon Business School, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Type 1 diabetes is an invisible disability requiring major life changes and constant monitoring. It can become particularly challenging to control during a major life transition. This study examines the composition and nature of the social networks of college students living with type 1 diabetes. A total of 17 respondents with type 1 diabetes and 18-25 years of age participated in network interviews. Network Canvas facilitated online data collection. The results show that efforts to protect the well-being of college students with T1D require active participation of university organizations and certain individuals from students' formal and informal connections. Such connections define students' support networks in college and provide access to social capital.Practical implications and recommendations for university leadership and students' parents are discussed.

    Keywords: diabetes, chronic illness, social support, social networks, Organizations, Health Communication

    Received: 14 Feb 2024; Accepted: 16 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Malova. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ekaterina Malova, Simon Business School, University of Rochester, Rochester, 14627, New York, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.