Community-based structural social capital and depressive symptoms of older urban Chinese adults: The mediating role of cognitive social capital

Abstract

ObjectivesThe present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of cognitive social capital in the association between community-based structural social capital and depressive symptoms among older adults living in urban China. MethodsData were derived from a community survey conducted in Suzhou City, China, in late 2015 with 456 respondents aged 60 or older. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypothesis. ResultsThe latent variables of cognitive and structural social capital were established. Cognitive social capital was found to have a mediation effect on the association between structural social capital and depressive symptoms, even after controlling for the respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and family variables. ConclusionsThe findings support the utility of social capital theory in urban Chinese contexts. A more comprehensive assessment tool to measure structural social capital should be built nationwide. Fostering cognitive social capital should play an important role in interventions aiming to enhance structural social capital among older adults. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.