title: Assessment of social network change in a national longitudinal survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article describes new longitudinal data on older adults' egocentric social networks collected by the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). We describe a novel survey technique that was used to record specific personnel changes that occurred within respondents' networks during the 5-year study period, and we make recommendations regarding usage of the resulting data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive statistics are presented for measures of network size, composition, and structure at both waves, respondent-level summary measures of change in these characteristics between waves, as well as measures that distinguish between changes associated with losses of Wave 1 network members, additions of new ones, and changes in relationships with network members who were present at both waves.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The NSHAP network change module was successful in providing reliable information about specific changes that occurred within respondents' confidant networks. Most respondents lost at least one confidant from W1 and added at least one new confidant between waves as well. Network growth was more common than network shrinkage. Both lost and new ties were weaker than ties that persisted throughout the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data provide new insight into the dynamic nature of networks in later life, revealing norms of network turnover, expansion, and weakening. Data limitations are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. btc49@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cornwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, University of Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: L Philip
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Schumm
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Edward O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Laumann
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.
authors.forename: Juyeon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Aging; Network change; Social isolation; Social networks.