Influence of Social Capital on the Health of Individuals (original) (raw)
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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 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].
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.
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.
Social capital and health: a return to social and sociological traditions
Social capital as a concept which is related to social contextand as a new element besides other factors like environmental, Genetic and individual factors has attracted interests of professional and authorities in national and international levels. This approach has attracted attentions in low-income countries which have source limitations for interventions. This paper introduces concepts regarding social capital and health relationship, and a review on experimental and theoretical literature as well. A review research conducted by reviewing scientific databases on the net.The study includes English & Persian papers published thought 1990-2009 which studied empirically or theoretically the relationship between social capital (and its components) and physical or mental health. Empirical results shows some evidence for the positive relationship between the two, but in some social contexts, factors like poverty, violence and individual differences (like gender) may result in decreasing of intensity of or disappearing the relationship. Thereare three main theoretical mechanisms to explain the relationship: promoting pro-Health behavior, facilitating access to services and the effect of psychological process. Finally critics and limitations in the study of social capital and health relation is explained.
SOCIAL CAPITAL AND HEALTH OUTCOME IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA
Proceeding of the 4th International Conference on Management and Muamalah 2017 (ICoMM 2017), 2017
Quality of life is directly influenced by the quality of social relationships. Social Capital, a reflection of the cohesiveness of social networks, is considered a significant determinant of health outcomes. Social capital has been described as an empirically elusive concept, yet has also been heralded as the glue that holds communities together. While there has been much debate about its definition. Social capital can be understood as a network of social relations which are characterized by norms of trust and reciprocity and which lead to outcome of mutual benefits. Social capital stands for the ability of actors to secure benefits by virtue of membership in social networks or other social structures. Social capital as relationship in three dimensions that is bonding, bridging and linking social capital. Bonding social capital is a relationship that we have with people who are like us and typically refers to those among member of families and ethnic groups. Bridging social capital refers to those relationships we have with people who are from a different social –economic situation from a different generation or a different ethnicity. While linking social capital is a relationship people have with those in power. Linking social capital enables individuals and community groups to leverage resources, ideas and information from formal institutions beyond the immediate community radios. Thus, health status is critical to both human and economic productivity. Stemming from this, investments have been made to improve health. “On the one hand, millions of dollars are committed to alleviating ill-health through individual intervention. Meanwhile, we ignore what our everyday experience tells us, i.e. the way we organize our society, the extent to which we encourage interaction among the citizenry and the degree to which we trust and associate with each other in caring communities is probably the most important determinant of our health”. Using a set of household data generated from the administration of structured questionnaires to 520 respondents, only 479 were returned and found useful for analysis. This paper investigates the impact of social capital on health outcome in Niger State, Nigeria, using a multi-regression analysis method. The result obtained shows that social capital is positively related to health outcome in the Niger State, thus, fulfilling our a-priori expectations that the more social capital formation by both the people and the Government of the study area, the more they find themselves out of ill-health. The results notwithstanding, policy measures that would continue to make social capital relevant to improve health outcome were suggested.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2008
Background: A growing number of studies have suggested a link between social capital and health.