Social capital and health: a return to social and sociological traditions (2025)

Social capital as a determinant of population health outcomes: A global perspective

2018

This study contributes to the health literature by decomposing health outcomes into three dimensions that are physical health, mental health and well-being of individuals. Where physical health is measured using life expectancy, infant mortality and self-rated health indicators while mental health is measured using stress index and addition of smoking in both males and females. Finally, well-being is measured using the index of happiness. The empirical analysis is conducted using OLS and GMM for 61 countries from 1980 to 2014. Overall results indicate that social capital is positively associated with all dimensions of health outcomes as high trusting individuals report better health outcomes in comparison to low trusting individuals. The results also reveal that the impact of social capital on mental health is stronger than the impact on physical health. Moreover, social capital is more conducive for controlling stress index than producing happiness. The main message of this researc...

Social Resources and Health: The Case of Social Capital

EC Psychology and Psychiatry, 2019

According to the literature, social capital has a great range of beneficial effects in many levels from society to individuals. Higher levels of social capital are positively related to better financial performance at local and national level [9,10]. They also related to social cohesion by contributing to lower indices of criminality [11,12]. Additionally, it is associated with educational attainment [13] and achievement [14] that are key factors for the promotion of social prosperity. During the last decades it has been formed a strong tradition in psychology research concerning the effects of the social context on health. The study of the effect of social recourses (e.g. social support, mutual connections) on physical and mental health is very important and it may lead to key answers about their role in the incidence, prevalence and prevention of illness. Among a number of approaches, social capital theory has been vaunted as an approach that may foster the connections and interactions between social environment and health indices [1].

The study of relationship between social capital and self-rated health in Bandar Abbas, Iran

2018

Background : Health is a key component of an individual's welfare and the standard of living. Social capital has attained a considerable attention in science and policy making since researchers have suggested that it may have a positive impact on the well-being of individuals and the society. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between social capital and self-rated health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals aged from 18 and older, who lived in Bandar Abbas city in 2017. The data used in this study obtained from a questionnaire with multi-stage random sample of respondents. The data were coded, computed, and analyzed by using SPSS software 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: A total of 255 respondents participated in the present study. Approximately 126 (49.4%) were male. The results obtained on age also report that the average age of respondents were equal to 30.08. Additionally, 126 (49.4%) of the respondents were married. ...

Influence of Social Capital on the Health of Individuals

Journal of social science (JSS), 2023

Social capital consists of characteristics of the relations and the interaction that happens between individuals and groups. It is perceived as an individual level where personal resources can emerge in various social networks where individuals have good access to support and services involved. On several occasions, social capital has been perceived as a factor that can affect health through numerous mechanisms. These are well-known norms and attitudes that influence health psychological networks and increases access to quality health systems thus enhancing self-esteem. The objective of this paper, therefore, was to assess the influence social capital has on the health of individuals. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and targeted 840 respondents from 7 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and interview guides, which were pilot-tested before use and utilized the Cronbach alpha test on SPSS to measure both reliability of the research tool and the internal consistency. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics which includes correlation analysis aided by Statistical Package for Social Science for quantitative while the qualitative data was analyzed using narrative and thematic methods. Results showed that social capital indeed has an influence on the health of individuals. 54% of the respondents reported having fallen below their economic status at some point in their life and further provided insights on the importance of friends and family at this point in their life. 98% of them confirmed receiving aid and support (both moral and financial) from their family and social networks and this eased a lot of stress and further supported them in their search for new channels of earning their livelihoods. Also, 69.1% of the respondents reported belonging to a particular social network, among them, 95% confirmed that in multiple occasions, the social network influenced their health-seeking behaviors, diet, and general hygiene, eating and sleeping habits, etc. while noting that the network provides support (both financial, moral, care, etc.

The Importance of Different Forms of Social Capital for Health

Acta Sociologica, 2007

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the concept of social capital and to distinguish its different forms, focusing on their potential effects on health. According to many scholars, social capital comprises social networks, norms of reciprocity or social support and social trust. In this article the core element, the social network, has been further distinguished by the direction of ties and levels of formality, strength and diversity. In the past few years there has been increased interest in social capital in the health field and a great deal of research has suggested that social capital is generally positively related to health. However, little research has been conducted into how different forms of social capital or social networks influence health. What is the difference, for instance, between bonding and bridging social capital in terms of health outcomes? It is important to distinguish the different forms because they imply different resources, support and obligations. More research needs to be conducted into the different forms of social capital and their effects on health. A special focus should be placed on the health impacts of cross-cutting-or bridging and linking-forms of social capital. keywords: bonding social capital ◆ bridging social capital ◆ cross-cutting social capital ◆ health ◆ linking social capital ◆ medical sociology ◆ social networks

Social capital and health: A systematic review of systematic reviews

SSM - Population Health, 2019

There are many systematic reviews on social capital (SC) and various health outcomes, but each of these reviews shows one piece of the larger SC and health puzzle. The aim of this research was to systematically review systematic reviews on SC and health, in order to provide an overview of existing evidence and to identify strategies for future research. Nine databases were searched for key words that could fall under the broad umbrella of SC and health outcomes. We screened 4941 titles and abstracts and read 187 reviews before retaining 20 of them. A critical appraisal of each review was conducted. The reviews show there is good evidence to suggest that SC predicts better mental and physical health, and indicators of SC are protective against mortality. At the same time, many reviews also found numerous non-significant and negative relationships that are important to consider. It was unclear whether SC interventions for health were really improving SC, or other aspects of the social environment. Overall, this research shows that evidence on how various aspects of SC affect different health outcomes for different actors remains unclear. Intergroup and lifecourse perspectives could help clarify this link. Future research could benefit from conceptualizing the link between SC and health in a what, who, where, when, why and how framework.

Social capital and health – implications for health promotion

Global Health Action, 2011

This article is a review of the PhD Thesis of Malin Eriksson, entitled 'Social capital, health and community action Á implications for health promotion.' The article presents a theoretical overview of social capital and its relation to health, reviews empirical findings of the links between social capital and (self-rated) health, and discusses the usefulness of social capital in health promotion interventions at individual and community levels. Social capital, conceptualized as an individual characteristic, can contribute to the field of health promotion by adding new knowledge on how social network interventions may best be designed to meet the needs of the target group. The distinction of different forms of social capital, i.e. bonding, bridging, and linking, can be useful in mapping the kinds of networks that are available and health-enhancing (or damaging) and for whom. Further, social capital can advance social network interventions by acknowledging the risk for unequal distribution of investments and returns from social network involvement. Social capital, conceptualized as characterizing whole communities, provides a useful framework for what constitutes health-supporting environments and guidance on how to achieve them. Mapping and mobilization of social capital in local communities may be one way of achieving community action for health promotion. Social capital is context-bound by necessity. Thus, from a global perspective, it cannot be used as a 'cookbook' on how to achieve supportive environments and community action smoothly. However, social capital can provide new ideas on the processes that influence human interactions, cooperation, and community action for health promotion in various contexts.

Social capital and health Á implications for health promotion

This article is a review of the PhD Thesis of Malin Eriksson, entitled 'Social capital, health and community action Á implications for health promotion.' The article presents a theoretical overview of social capital and its relation to health, reviews empirical findings of the links between social capital and (self-rated) health, and discusses the usefulness of social capital in health promotion interventions at individual and community levels. Social capital, conceptualized as an individual characteristic, can contribute to the field of health promotion by adding new knowledge on how social network interventions may best be designed to meet the needs of the target group. The distinction of different forms of social capital, i.e. bonding, bridging, and linking, can be useful in mapping the kinds of networks that are available and health-enhancing (or damaging) and for whom. Further, social capital can advance social network interventions by acknowledging the risk for unequal distribution of investments and returns from social network involvement. Social capital, conceptualized as characterizing whole communities, provides a useful framework for what constitutes health-supporting environments and guidance on how to achieve them. Mapping and mobilization of social capital in local communities may be one way of achieving community action for health promotion. Social capital is context-bound by necessity. Thus, from a global perspective, it cannot be used as a 'cookbook' on how to achieve supportive environments and community action smoothly. However, social capital can provide new ideas on the processes that influence human interactions, cooperation, and community action for health promotion in various contexts.

Social capital and health: implications for public health and epidemiology

Social Science & Medicine, 1998

Public health and its “basic science”, epidemiology, have become colonised by the individualistic ethic of medicine and economics. Despite a history in public health dating back to John Snow that underlined the importance of social systems for health, an imbalance has developed in the attention given to generating “social capital” compared to such things as modification of individual's risk factors.

A meta-analysis of social capital and health: A case for needed research

Journal of Health Psychology, 2013

Social capital refers to various levels of social relationships formed through social networks. Measurement differences have lead to imprecise measurement. A meta-analysis of eligible studies assessing the bivariate association between social capital and self-reported health and all-cause mortality was performed. Thirtynine studies met inclusion criteria, showing social capital increased odds of good health by 27 percent (95% confidence intervals [CI] =21%, 34%). Social capital variables, reciprocity increased odds of good health by 39 percent (95% CI = 21%, 60%) and trust by 32 percent (95% CI =19%, 46%). Future research suggests operationalizing measures by assessing differences by race/ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status.