title: Hormones, behavior, and social network analysis: exploring associations between cortisol, testosterone, and network structure.
abstract: We used a new interdisciplinary paradigm of social network analysis (SNA) to investigate associations between hormones and social network structures. We examine these biobehavioral processes and test hypotheses about how hormones are associated with social network structures using exponential random graph modeling (ERGM) in a cohort of first-year students (n=74; 93% female; M age=27 years) from a highly competitive, accelerated nursing program. Participants completed friendship nominations and as a group simultaneously donated saliva (later assayed for cortisol and testosterone). ERGM analyses revealed that salivary cortisol levels were inversely associated with the number of outgoing ties (i.e., network activity). By contrast, testosterone was not related to friendship network structure. Integration of SNA and salivary bioscience creates a novel approach to understanding hormone-behavior relationships within the context of human social ecologies.
authors: Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, Arizona State University, USA; Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, USA. Electronic address: Olga.Kornienko@asu.edu.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Kornienko
authors: Department of Psychology, Amherst College, USA.
authors: Katherine H
authors: KH
authors: Clemans
authors: Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors: Dorothée
authors: D
authors: Out
authors: Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, Arizona State University, USA; Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, USA; School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, USA; Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA. Electronic address: Douglas.Granger@asu.edu.
authors: Douglas A
authors: DA
authors: Granger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004506:Education, Nursing; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006728:Hormones / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012944:Social Support; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D013739:Testosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Exponential random graph modeling; Salivary cortisol; Salivary testosterone; Social network analysis