Individuals' social relationships are built up over transitions in life trajectories, such as parenthood, unemployment or an accident, and the duration of the different stages. In their article, researchers Gaëlle Aeby, Jacques-Antoine Gauthier and Eric D. Widmer show that contemporary life courses are subject to "de-strandardization" due to the uncertainty of the trajectories and reversibility of certain events, such as marriage or the choice of a profession. As a result, individual roles change and modify the structure of personal networks.  

The Family tiMes survey, which includes some 800 people born in the 1950s and 1970s, reveals that the network of "very important" people has an average of 4 members. Based on these data, the three researchers identify seven types of personal networks, four focused on family, and three on friends. The nuclear family (spouse and children) is thus at the centre of the relationships of individuals who have become parents in their twenties. On the other hand, networks that give pride of place to friendly ties are those of people who prefer a conjugal life (without children), who are single or who have experienced a marital breakdown. In these networks, friends play a key role as providers of emotional and material support.

Better identify at-risk groups

In Switzerland, solidarity standards, particularly for childcare, education funding or support for the elderly, are still strongly based on family and individual autonomy. In order to better identify groups at risk, public policies would benefit from targeting critical life events. They could thus adjust to the needs of each individual and take into account the hazards of contemporary family trajectories.

www.socialchangeswitzerland.ch 

This first edition will bring together researchers from different Swiss universities working with Internet-based intervention methods. They will share their extensive experience in keynote talks about tailoring interventions to specific populations and the therapeutic alliance. The Swiss Internet Intervention Day will offer an opportunity to share and discover the current richness of the work carried out in Switzerland and internationally as well as develop future questions and research directions.

Subscription through this form is required for this event. 

Information and programme are in the following document and on the website of the University of Lausanne. 

In addition to this event, Prof. Andersson will give a workshop on Saturday 9th November 2019 on "The application of Internet Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in practice".