Date of Award

2-11-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Kathleen Gathercoal, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Mary Peterson, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Elizabeth Hamilton, Ph.D.

Abstract

Few studies have examined interdisciplinary collaboration in primary care using social network analysis. The present study seeks to examine connections among leadership in the Interprofessional Primary Care Institute (IPCI) in order to measure the effect of changes in the network over time, effect of work group collaboration, and centralization on communication patterns within the group. This study involved a secondary analysis, using data from Gathercoal et al.’s (2019) social network analysis (SNA) of the IPCI, and follow-up data collection. Data were gathered via an online survey, meeting records, and collateral information about IPCI. Social connections within the network, specifically eigenvector centrality measures, were calculated using the Cytoscape program. Results showed that individuals in two or more workgroups had more incoming comments while individuals in fewer work groups were more likely to send outgoing comments. Individuals with higher centrality at the beginning of the network participated in fewer workgroups. Members’ eigenvector centrality did not differ significantly at Time 2 as a function of the number of work groups to which they belonged.

The present study revealed the importance of influence centrality (e.g., eigenvector centrality) and work group involvement in the IPCI network as it relates to the value and communication patterns of its members. SNA is a valuable method to analyze the interworking of interdisciplinary networks to support and enhance collaboration among diverse professionals in the health sector.

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