The evacuation of an Israeli community in the Sinai peninsula afforded
an unusual opportunity to study the longitudinal relationships between
personal network characteristics and psychosocial adjustment. Friendship
network characteristics proved highly stable longitudinally but were poor
predictors of long-term adjustment. The kinship network characteristics
before relocation were better predictors, despite the fact that kin were
not actually present in the community before relocation. These data support
a hypothesis that the perception of social embeddedness rather than the
actual availability of social supports mediates reactions to stressful life
events.
Abstract Teaser