Effect Of Cognitive Social Capital Research Articles

Individual-level community-based social capital and depressive symptoms among older adults in urban China: the moderating effects of socioeconomic status

Objectives This study aimed to examine the moderating role of socioeconomic status in the association between community-based social capital—based on individual-level cognitive and structural social capital—and depressive symptoms among older adults in urban China. Methods Data were collected in 2020 through a community survey of 800 respondents aged 60 years and older living in Shijiazhuang and Tianjin. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Multiple-group analyses were conducted to analyze the data. Results Measurement models of cognitive social capital and structural social capital were established. Measurement invariance was established across different socioeconomic groups. Additionally, socioeconomic status significantly moderated the association between social capital and depressive symptoms. The association between cognitive social capital and depressive symptoms was statistically significant among respondents with relatively low incomes and high levels of education, whereas the association between structural social capital and depressive symptoms was significant only among those with relatively high incomes. Conclusion Future social capital policies and interventions should adopt different strategies to provide services to older adults from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Furthermore, educational programs should promote the effects of cognitive social capital on depressive symptoms later in life.

Knowledge Properties and Social Capital in Knowledge Creation Performance in Taiwan's Manufacturing and Service Industries

This article presents and empirically examines a research model to investigate knowledge creation performance (KCP). The model postulates knowledge property (tacitness and complexity) and social capital (structural, relational, and cognitive capitals) as the main predictors of KCP. The moderation (interaction) effect of goal-predefined strategy (GPS) is also examined. Based on 209 valid samples collected from the manufacturing and service industries in Taiwan, the authors show that both knowledge property and social capital are significantly associated with KCP. GPS significantly enhances the effect of knowledge property on KCP and significantly weakens the effect of social capital on KCP. The effect of tacitness becomes insignificant when GPS is included, due to the limitations in thinking space that the strategy entails. Moreover, among social capitals, GPS maintains the effect of cognitive social capital on KCP but decreases the influence of both structural and relational social capital. Discussion and implications are also addressed.

Effect of cognitive and structural social capital on depression among older adults in Ghana: A multilevel cross-sectional analysis

Evidence from existing studies suggests social capital has mixed effects on depression and other common mental disorders. There is little knowledge of the possible association between social capital and depression among the growing older population in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the effect of cognitive social capital (trust and sense of safety) and structural social capital (social participation or engagement in social activities) on depression among older adults in Ghana. Utilizing multilevel mixed-effect analysis, we investigate the effect of individual-level and neighborhood-level social capital (cognitive and structural) on depression using data from the World Health Organization Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (WHO-SAGE) survey (Wave 1). The findings show that at an individual level, older adults who felt safe at home were less likely to have depression. We observed mixed results for elements of structural social capital at the individual level. Older adults who frequently engaged in club or group meetings, worked with neighbors and engaged in social outings were more likely to have depression; while attending public meetings and socializing with co-workers were associated with reduced likelihood of having depression. At the neighborhood level, increased trust in neighbors was associated with an increased likelihood of having depression (OR = 1.01, p < 0.05) while higher levels of neighborhood safety and structural social capital were associated with a reduced likelihood of having depression. The findings suggest that the differential associations between elements of social capital and depression may be the result of contextual factors.

The relationship between social capital and self-rated health: a multilevel analysis based on a poverty alleviation program in the Philippines

BackgroundPoor health is both a cause and consequence of poverty, and there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that social capital is an important factor for improving health in resource-poor settings. International Care Ministries (ICM) is a non-governmental organization in the Philippines that provides a poverty alleviation program called Transform. A core aim of the program is to foster social connectedness and to create a network of support within each community, primarily through consistent community-led small group discussions. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between social capital and self-rated health and how ICM’s Transform program may have facilitated changes in those relationships.MethodsThree types of social capital were explored: bonding-structural, bridging-structural and cognitive. Using cross-sectional data collected before and after Transform, multilevel modelling was used to examine their effects on self-rated health between the two time points.ResultsThe analyses showed that while social capital had minimal effects on self-rated health before Transform, a series of associations were identified after the program. Evidence of interdependence between the different types of social capital was also observed: bonding social capital only had a beneficial effect on self-rated health in the presence of bridging social capital, but we found that there was a 17 percentage point increase in self-rated health when individuals possessed all possible bridging and bonding relationships. At the same time, our estimates showed that maximising all forms of social capital is not necessarily constructive, as the positive effect of cognitive social capital on self-rated health was weaker at higher levels of bridging social capital.ConclusionsThe results from this study has shown that building social capital can influence the way people perceive their own health, which can be facilitated by intervention programs which seek to create bonding and bridging relationships. Transform’s intentional design to learn in community could be relevant to program planners as they develop and evaluate community-based programs, making adaptations as necessary to achieve organisation-specific goals while acknowledging the potential for varied effects when applied in different contexts or circumstances.

Mediating Effect of Cognitive Social Capital on the Relationship Between Physical Disability and Depression in Elderly People of Rural Pakistan.

Cognitive social capital is crucial for mental wellbeing and physical disability in order to avoid late-life depression. The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of cognitive social capital (interpersonal trust and reciprocity) on the relationship between physical disability and depression in elderly people of rural Pakistan. For this purpose, 146 respondents aged 60 years or above and residents of rural areas of district Muzaffargarh (Punjab, Pakistan) were approached for data collection. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic variables (gender, age, education, marital status, family system, living status, household income, and number of chronic diseases); the geriatric depressive symptoms scale (GDS-15) was used to measure depression, physical disability was evaluated through ADL and IADL scales, and cognitive social capital, which includes interpersonal trust and reciprocity, was measured using single-item questions. It was found that interpersonal trust, reciprocity, depression, and physical disability were significantly correlated with each other and physical disability was directly associated with depression. In mediation analysis, reciprocity mediated the relationship between physical disability and depression. Our findings highlight the need to enhance cognitive social capital interventions and develop policies to promote mental and physical health of rural elderly.

Impacts of Structural Social Capital and Cognitive Social Capital on the Psychological Status of Survivors of the Yaan Earthquake

The Yaan earthquake occurred in April 2013, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, caused 196 people died, 11,470 injured and USD 6.9 billion economic loss. The Yaan area were also severely affected by the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. This research examined the impacts of structural social capital (social association) and cognitive social capital on the psychological status (depression, life satisfaction) of survivors of the Yaan earthquake. Based on a survey of 495 respondents, structural equation models were constructed to test the mediation effects of cognitive social capital on the relationships between structural social capital, depression, and life satisfaction of respondents with disaster impact as a control variable. This study also examined the paths of impact of the three components of cognitive social capital (sense of community, trust, and social connectedness) on survivors’ psychological status. The findings indicated the following. 1) The disaster impact had negative effect on cognitive social capital (β = −.15, p < 0.05), but no effect on structural capital (β = −.06, n.s.); disaster impact also had positive effect on depression (β = .16, p < 0.01) and negative effect on life satisfaction (β = −.13, p < 0.05). 2) Structural social capital had positive effect on cognitive social capital (β = −.35, p < 0.001) and cognitive social capital had negative effect on depression (β = −.44, p < 0.001). Structural social capital had indirect effect but no direct effect on depression. The impact of structural social capital on depression was fully mediated by cognitive social capital. 3) Cognitive social capital had positive effect on life satisfaction (β = .44, p < 0.001). Structural social capital had indirect effect but no direct effect on life satisfaction. The impact of structural social capital on life satisfaction was fully mediated by cognitive social capital. 4) Sense of community has a positive effect on life satisfaction (β = .72, p < 0.05), but no effect on depression. 5) Trust has a negative effect on depression (β = −.41, p < 0.05), but no effect on life satisfaction. 6) Social connectedness has a negative effect on depression (β = −.16, p < 0.05), but no effect on life satisfaction. The research highlighted the importance of building and maintaining cognitive social capital in a community affected by disaster. It also makes recommendations for social workers to improve trust and social connectedness in the pre-disaster and disaster relief phases to buffer depression. After a disaster, it is recommended to facilitate a sense of community to improve the life satisfaction of survivors.

Inter-organizational social capital as an antecedent of a firm’s knowledge identification capability and external knowledge acquisition

PurposeThis paper concentrates on the antecedents of external knowledge acquisition of companies based on their inter-organizational relationships. Specifically, it considers social capital (i.e., the result of a firm’s inter-organizational relationships) as an essential precursor of knowledge identification capabilities and deliberated knowledge acquisition strategies. This study aims to propose that cognitive and relational dimensions of a firm’s inter-organizational social capital are mediating factors of the relationship between structural social capital and knowledge identification capabilities and the relationship between structural social capital and the deliberated acquisition of external knowledge, respectively. The relationship between knowledge identification capability and external knowledge acquisition is also analyzed.Design/methodology/approachThis is a cross-sectional quantitative study with a sample of 87 firms from Spanish biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. From an extensive literature review, we developed three hypotheses that were tested using the partial least squares technique and structural equations model.FindingsThe results only support a mediating effect of cognitive social capital in the relationship between structural social capital and knowledge identification capability and a partial mediation effect of relational social capital in the relationship between structural social capital and knowledge acquisition. In addition, the findings show that firms with more advanced abilities to identify and assess the value of external knowledge will be likely to develop optimal deliberated strategies to acquire effectively such knowledge from its network partners.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study are small sample size and the cross-sectional nature of the study. The study also focuses on only two specific and innovative industries.Practical implicationsManagers should understand that “good” management of inter-organizational social capital allows the firm to develop dynamic capabilities for the identification and acquisition of valuable knowledge. The results of the study show that managers should concentrate on building knowledge identification capabilities and should also be aware of the possibilities that social capital can provide to a firm to formulate and implement effective strategies for external knowledge acquisition.Originality/valueTo date, there are relatively few studies focussing on knowledge identification capability and its relationships with the dimensions of a company’s social capital as enablers of external knowledge acquisition. For managers, the identification of valuable knowledge by using inter-organizational relationships and networks is an essential issue, especially in innovative industries characterized by continuous change. Theoretically, this research highlights that social capital contributes to the development of dynamic capabilities, allowing the firm to sense and seize business opportunities based on external knowledge acquisition to achieve competitive advantages.

The relative influence of neighbourhood incivilities, cognitive social capital, club membership and individual characteristics on positive mental health

Previous research indicates that residents׳ perceptions of their neighbourhoods can have an adverse influence on their health and wellbeing over and above the influence of structural disadvantage. Contrary to most prior research, this study employed an indicator of positive wellbeing and assessed the impact of individual characteristics, perceived social and environmental incivilities, indicators of cognitive and structural social capital, and perceived safety. Analyses of data from a large regional UK representative study (n=8237; 69.64% response rate) found the most influential determinants of wellbeing were physical health problems, age, SES and cognitive social capital. Smaller, significant effects were also found for environmental and social incivilities, and for perceived safety. The effect of cognitive social capital was moderated by age, with a stronger effect found among those aged 65 years and over than among younger participants. Findings indicate that the promotion of positive mental health within communities may be facilitated by efforts to foster a greater sense of belonging among residents, and that older adults may benefit most from such efforts.

Does social trust at school affect students’ smoking and drinking behavior in Japan?

This study examined the individual and contextual effects of cognitive social capital at school on cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking in Japanese high school students. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 3248 students in grades 10-12 (aged 15-18 years) at 29 public high schools across Okinawa, Japan in 2008. The individual-level cognitive social capital studied was generalized trust. Using multi-level logistic regression models, the effects of individual- and contextual-level cognitive social capital on smoking and drinking were analyzed. Contextual-level cognitive social capital was measured on the basis of aggregated individual responses to the trust question at school level. After adjustment for the covariates, individual-level trust was negatively associated with smoking and drinking among boys and girls. Similarly, after adjustment for the covariates, school-level trust showed an inverse association with smoking for girls. A similar but not statistically significant association was observed for boys. On the other hand, school-level trust was not associated with drinking among boys or girls. After adjustment for individual-level trust and the covariates, these findings were in the same direction, but the school-level trust for girls no longer had a significant contextual effect on smoking. The findings suggest evidence of the individual effect of cognitive social capital on adolescents' smoking and drinking, and that the contextual effect of social capital on smoking was inconclusive. In addition, no association of contextual-level social capital with drinking was observed.

The Mediating Effect of Cognitive Social Capital on Knowledge Acquisition in Clustered Firms

ABSTRACTThis paper analyzes the role played by the cognitive dimension of social capital on knowledge acquisition in clustered firms. We have applied a structural model to an empirical survey of the Spanish footwear industry. Findings detect a significant indirect effect of the district membership on knowledge acquisition through cognitive social capital development. In contrast with the assumption of direct and free access to common knowledge in territorial agglomerations, findings suggested that knowledge access depends on the capacity of the firms to share visions, goals, values, and culture with other actors in the local neighborhood. The social capital perspective provides a solid base to explain heterogeneity among firm members in the industrial district in order to access common knowledge and capacities. Findings suggested that institutions involved in a district must favour efforts to boost the collective representation as well as common goals and vision.