Individual-level Social Capital Research Articles

DOES SOCIAL CAPITAL ENHANCE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION? A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS OF YOUNGER AND OLDER ADULTS IN EUROPE

Abstract Political participation encompasses institutionalised activities such as attending meetings of a political organisation as well as non-institutionalised activities including contacting politicians, signing petitions or boycotting. Both forms of activities tend to be dependent upon birth cohort, political socialisation, and period effects like changes in the welfare state design. Furthermore, it is also connected with other domains of civic engagement as well as trust. Social capital theory focuses on social connections and roles fostering civic engagement, including political participation, however, the relationship between social capital and political participation might look different for different types of political activities. The aim of this study was, therefore, to test the importance of social capital for different types of political participation in younger and older adults by analysing cross-national data from the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) in 2016. Data was collected in 33 European countries and includes more than 36,000 individuals aged 18 and over. Multilevel regression analysis was used to explore individual-level and country-level social capital on different measures of institutionalised and non-institutionalised political participation in younger and older adults. The results showed that a third of the sample participated in non-institutionalised activities whereas 11 percent participated in institutionalised activities. Both forms of political participation were lower among older adults as compared to younger age groups. While social capital was identified as an important predictor of political participation, it was also shown that these associations were conditioned by larger cultural, political and welfare institutional contexts.

Number of siblings and social capital among parents rearing schoolchildren: Results from the A-CHILD study.

Having siblings may foster sociality; however, little is known about whether sibling number determines social capital, the resources obtained through social networks. We examined the association between sibling number and social capital among Japanese parents rearing schoolchildren. We used cross-sectional data from the 2018 and 2019 Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) study, targeting all primary and junior high school students and their parents in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan (n = 8,082). Individual-level social capital was evaluated by assessing caregivers' social cohesion, social support, and group affiliation. All analyses were adjusted for age and sex. An inverse U-shaped association was found between sibling number and social capital. Adults who grew up with 1 or 2, but not ≥3, siblings had greater social support (β = 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06-0.40; β = 0.46, 95% CI, 0.29-0.64, respectively) than those who grew up as an only child after covariate adjustment. Adults who grew up with 2 or 3, but not 1 or ≥4, siblings had greater group affiliation (β = 0.09, 95% CI, 0.03-0.16; β = 0.09, 95% CI, 0.01-0.18, respectively) than those who grew up as an only child after covariate adjustment. Sibling number was not associated with social cohesion. Growing up with 1 to 3 siblings was associated with higher social capital in adulthood than being an only child. Having siblings may provide an opportunity to foster social capital.

Associations of Cooking Skill with Social Relationships and Social Capital among Older Men and Women in Japan: Results from the JAGES.

The health benefits of social relationships and social capital are well known. However, little research has examined the determinants of social relationships and social capital. We examined whether cooking skill was associated with social relationships and social capital in older Japanese people. We used 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study data on a population-based sample of men and women aged ≥ 65 years (n = 21,061). Cooking skill was assessed using a scale with good validity. Social relationships were evaluated by assessing neighborhood ties, frequency and number of meetings with friends, and frequent meals with friends. Individual-level social capital was evaluated by assessing civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. Among women, high-level cooking skill was positively associated with all components of social relationships and social capital. Women with high-level cooking skill were 2.27 times (95% CI: 1.77-2.91) more likely to have high levels of neighborhood ties and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.20-2.27) times more likely to eat with friends, compared with those with middle/low-level cooking skill. Cooking skills explained 26.2% of the gender difference in social relationships. Improving cooking skills may be key to boosting social relationships and social capital, which would prevent social isolation.

Preventive role of community-level social capital in the need for long-term care and impairment in instrumental activities of daily living: a multilevel analysis.

Individual-level social capital is an important determinant of older adults' long-term care needs; however, there is scant evidence regarding community-level social capital. Therefore, we investigated the association between community-level social capital and the prevalence of the need for long-term care among older adults. Between January and February 2018, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among all older adults (n = 13,558) aged 65 to 74 years in a rural municipality in Japan (total population, n = 72,833). A self-reported questionnaire was used to identify community-level social capital, comprising civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratios of the need for long-term care and a decline in social activity competence as assessed by instrumental activities of daily living. For the analysis, the community levels were divided into 76 voting districts and adjusted for daily life, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, health conditions, and the three social capital subscale scores at the individual level. After adjusting for the covariates, we observed a tendency that a higher community level of reciprocity was associated with a lower prevalence of long-term care needs (OR: 0.86, 95% confidence interval: 0.75-1.00), whereas a high community level of social cohesion was associated with a significantly reduced decline in instrumental activities of daily living (OR per standard deviation increase: 0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.79-0.96). No significant association was found with civic participation. Similarly, individual-level social capital was associated with the need for long-term care and decline in instrumental activities of daily living. Our findings suggest that good community-level reciprocity or social cohesion as well as good individual social capital status may help prevent the need for long-term care among older adults.

Association between Community Social Capital and Access to Dental Check-Ups among Elementary School Children in Japan.

The association between parental social capital and a child's access to dental check-ups has been reported, but few studies have focused on dental check-ups. The present study investigated the association between parental social capital and access to dental check-ups among first-grade elementary school children (6-7 years old) in Japan. We analyzed cross-sectional data of first-grade elementary school children (6-7 years old) in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. Community social capital (the total score of social trust, cohesion, mutual aid) and child's dental check-ups (dental check-ups for purposes other than treatment at least once a year) were assessed by questionnaire surveys for parents of the first graders from all 69 elementary schools in 2017 (n = 5260; response rate: 81.6%) and 2019 (n = 5130; response rate: 78.8%). Multilevel Poisson regression analysis, adjusted for children's age in months, gender, mother's educational attainment, mother's employment status, having siblings, living with grandparents, and the density of dental clinics in the school district, was applied. Of the 7936 respondents included in the analysis, 82.7% of children received dental check-ups at least once a year. Individual-level social capital was positively associated with children's dental check-up utilization (prevalence ratio, PR = 0.935 per one interquartile range, IQR; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.877, 0.996). Community-level social capital was not significantly associated with children's dental check-up utilization (PR = 0.934 per one IQR; 95% CI: 0.865, 1.008). Promoting individual-level social capital, but not community-level social capital, may improve dental check-ups among elementary school children in Japan.

COVID-19 and Social Capital Loss: The Results of a Campus Outbreak.

This study examines the effects of a COVID-19 outbreak on levels of social capital on a college campus, drawing on survey data collected from students at two colleges-one that experienced an outbreak and one that did not. Social capital is examined as an individual level resource and as a campus level normative tool used to fight collective action problems. We test the hypothesis that the outbreak, as a "shock" to the campus, diminished social capital. We also test hypotheses on gender, race, and ethnicity and social capital, informed by prior research. Our findings suggest that the outbreak did reduce social capital at both the individual and campus levels, though individual social capital had a mitigating effect that increased campus social capital. We find also that gender was significantly linked to campus social capital, while race was predictive of individual level social capital.

Individual-level social capital is associated with depressive symptoms among middle-aged community dwellers in rural Vietnam: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThere has been comparatively little research on the association between social capital and depressive symptoms in low- and middle-income countries. To address this deficit this study examined the association among...

Structural neighbourhood characteristics, perceived collective efficacy and perceived disorder: a multilevel study on fear of crime

Abstract This study examines whether residential stability and neighbourhood SES, two key neighbourhood structural characteristics from Social Disorganisation Theory (SDT), have a contextual effect on perceived social trust, perceived informal social control, and perceived social disorder and whether these contextual structural and perceptual measures are related to three measures of fear of crime, independent of population composition. Attention is paid to three well-known dimensions of fear of crime: risk perception (cognitive), fear (emotional) and avoidance behaviour (behavioural). The results demonstrate that neighbourhood residential stability is strongly related to perceptual measures of collective efficacy (perceived social trust and perceived informal social control) and perceived social disorder, controlling for demographic background characteristics and individual level social capital. The implications of these findings and avenues for future studies are discussed.

Individual-level social capital and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Japan: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT To reduce vaccine hesitancy, it is important to identify factors that can intervene at the individual or community level. Social capital is a possible factor because it is associated with various vaccine hesitancy, such as for measles and influenza. However, limited studies have explored the association between social capital and vaccination for COVID-19, which is an unprecedented pandemic and infodemic. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the association between social capital and COVID-19 vaccination during the pandemic. This cross-sectional study used quota sampling for an online-based survey. Participants were asked whether they had previously been vaccinated for COVID-19 and their intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. Social capital was evaluated using three measures (individual-level civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to clarify the association between social capital and previous COVID-19 vaccination status as well as intention to receive a COVID-19 booster. Participants were 2,313 individuals, of whom 87.2% had received a COVID-19 vaccine; 72.3% intended to obtain a COVID-19 booster. Individuals with any social capital are more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccination than those with none (OR: 1.73, 95%CI: 1.18–2.54; OR: 1.58, 95%CI: 1.22–2.05; OR: 3.05, 95%CI: 2.15–4.33). These indicators were also associated with the intention to receive a COVID-19 booster. Thus, our results suggest that among the general public, those with individual-level social capital are more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccination than those with none. Social capital may be a factor that can reduce vaccine hesitancy during a pandemic.

Assessing Socioeconomic Inequality in Self-Rated Health in Four ex-Yugoslav Countries

There has been a growing academic interest in explaining the well-established association between socioeconomic status and health. Among the various proposed mechanisms and pathways, social capital has been recognised as a potentially important antecedent of socioeconomic inequalities in health. However, these interrelationships remain relatively unexplored within the countries of former Yugoslavia. Therefore, this article aims to fill the gap in the literature by exploring the role of individual-level social capital in the relationship between socioeconomic status and self-rated health in four ex-Yugoslav countries. The present study is based on the data from the ninth round of the European Social Survey (2018). The author analysed the data of participants aged 25 and over from Croatia (N = 1534), Montenegro (N = 1002), Serbia (N = 1720) and Slovenia (N = 1149). In order to test the target associations, sequential multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. The results show that occupational social class and several social capital indicators are associated with self-rated health, although independently of each other. Across all countries, unskilled and skilled manual workers and long-term unemployed individuals were more likely to report poor health compared to non-manual workers, with the exception of Montenegrin skilled manual workers and the long-term unemployed participants from Slovenia. Moreover, despite some cross-country differences in the relationship between individual levels of social capital and self-rated health, social participation was associated with self-rated health across all countries. These findings highlight the importance of encouraging social participation within these countries, which can lead to health benefits through behavioural and psychosocial mechanisms.

Social capital as mediating factor on COVID-19 induced psychological distress: The case of college students living through an outbreak.

This investigation examines the interplay between individual‐level social capital, psychological distress, and the effects of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) outbreak on a college campus. Data were collected from students at two colleges in early 2021. Hypotheses were formed based on prior research on social capital and the COVID pandemic. A structural equation model was constructed to allow the modeling of both latent and observed variables. The Kessler‐6 measures were used to create a latent psychological distress variable, which was the dependent variable. Predictor variables include whether the student experienced the outbreak, the student's race and gender, and the level of reported individual social capital (having supportive and rewarding relationships). Our findings suggest that the most robust predictor of reduced psychological distress was individual social capital, which also served as an intermediary between the outbreak and distress. Social capital mediates psychological distress in an outbreak.

Individual and community social capital, mobility restrictions, and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multilevel analysis of a representative US survey

This paper explores the role of social capital in mitigating the mental health harms of social/mobility restrictions instigated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We test whether: (a) social capital continued to predict lower mental distress during the pandemic; and (b) whether social capital buffered (moderated) the harm of social/mobility restrictions on psychological distress. In addition, we test the level at which social capital mitigation effects operated, i.e., at the individual- and/or contextual-level. To do so, we apply multilevel models to three waves of the COVID-19 Household Impact Survey consisting of probability samples of U.S. adults (with the average interview completion rate of 93%). In a novel approach, we explore two modes of capturing contextual social capital: aggregated individual-level survey responses and independently measured social capital indices (SCIs). Findings show that at the individual level social capital was associated with lower psychological distress. It also buffered the harm of restrictions: increasing restrictions had a weaker effect on distress among individuals interacting with neighbors more frequently. Importantly, mitigating processes of contextual social capital appeared conditional on how it was measured. Using aggregated survey responses, contextual social capital had no direct effect on distress but exerted an additional buffering role: individuals in counties with higher average neighbor-interaction experienced a weaker impact of restrictions. Using the independent SCI measures, we found county social capital reduced distress. However, its negative effect on distress becomes increasingly weaker the more restrictions an individual reported: where individuals reported lower restrictions, higher county SCI reduced distress; however, where individuals reported higher restrictions, higher county SCI had no effect on distress. More restrictive environments thus cut individuals off from the benefits of higher county social capital as measured using the SCI.

Are both individual-level and county-level social capital associated with individual health? A serial cross-sectional analysis in China, 2010–2015

ObjectivesWe aimed to examine the associations of both individual-level and county-level social capital with individual health in China during a period of rapid economic growth.Design and settingA serial cross-sectional study...

Do you feel happy when other members look happy? Moderating effect of community-level social capital on interconnection of happiness.

One's happiness is expected to be affected by the happiness of surrounding others. This socio-psychological nature of happiness, however, has not been fully examined in the literature of social psychology. The current study examined if this "psychological interconnection of happiness" occurs when (i) individuals have strong personal social capital and/or (ii) individuals belong to a community where other members have strong social capital. We analysed a large social survey dataset sampled from 408 communities in Japan (N=7295). The psychological interconnection of happiness was measured by calculating the correlation between individual happiness and perceived community happiness. The multilevel analyses revealed that the psychological interconnection of happiness was moderated by community-level social capital above and beyond individual-level social capital, while individual-level social capital did not have a significant moderation effect.

Not belonging where others do: a cross-sectional analysis of multi-level social capital interactions on health and mental well-being in Wales

BackgroundSocial capital may be a social good in health terms, but it is not necessarily a universal good. Several studies have shown that while there is a positive association between...

Work-unit social capital and incident purchase of psychotropic medications: A longitudinal cohort-study of healthcare workers

BackgroundWhether workplace social capital affects employees’ mental health is debated. We examined the association between work-unit aggregated social capital and incident purchase of psychotropic medications among employees. MethodsWe used data from the WHALE (Well-being in Hospital Employees) cohort study. The study population comprised 21,711 employees without recent psychotropic purchase-history nested within 2283 work units in the Capital Region of Denmark. Employees were invited to participate in a survey in March 2014 (86% response). We assessed workplace social capital by eight items (covering trust/justice and collaboration) and aggregated the mean of responses up to each work unit and categorized the scores into quartiles. Data on psychotropic purchases (antidepressants and anxiolytics/hypnotics/sedatives) were extracted via linkage to national registers. Using two-level mixed-effects survival models, we analyzed the association between work-unit social capital and psychotropic purchases during a one-year follow-up period adjusting for individual-level workplace social capital. ResultsLow work-unit social capital was associated with higher purchases of overall psychotropic medications in a dose-response manner (low-versus-high: HR=1.32, 95% CI=1.05–1.65), but this effect attenuated after adjusting for individual-level workplace social capital (HR=1.14, 95% CI=0.88–1.46). Low work-unit social capital was associated with higher purchases of antidepressants (HR=1.78, 95% CI=1.16–2.73) even after adjusting for individual-level workplace social capital (HR=1.69, 95% CI=1.05–2.73). LimitationsMedical doctors/dentists were underrepresented in the data on workplace social capital. ConclusionsLow work-unit social capital may be associated with higher use of antidepressants among healthcare employees. Interventions to improve social capital could potentially promote mental health at work in the healthcare setting.

The association of community and individual parental social capital with behavior problems among children in Japan: results from A-CHILD longitudinal study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the association of individual-level and community-level parental social capital with childhood behavior problems using population-based longitudinal data in Japan. We analyzed data from a population-based longitudinal survey study which followed first-grade elementary school children (6-7years old) in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. At baseline, the parents of first-grade students from all 69 elementary schools in Adachi City were asked to respond to a questionnaire assessing behavior problems and prosocial behavior (using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and parental social capital in the community (N = 5494). Data on follow-up questionnaires on behavior problems were collected when children were second grade. Among both surveys, 3656 parents returned valid responses. The association between individual-level and community-level parental social capital and children's behavior problems were analyzed using multilevel analyses adjusting for covariates. Community-level social capital was positively associated with prosocial behaviors, but not for total difficulties, after adjustment for covariates (coefficient = 0.19, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.36). Individual-level parental social capital was also positively associated with prosocial behaviors (coefficient = 0.27, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.41) and negatively associated with total difficulties (coefficient = -0.54, 95% CI -0.89 to -0.19). This study showed that greater community-level social capital can benefit children with increased prosocial behaviors. Individual-level parental social capital can be protective of youth by increasing prosocial behaviors and reducing difficult behaviors. Boosting both community and individual social capital can be a promising means to enhance children's well-being.

Individual-level Employment Transitions in Rural Viet Nam

Structural transformation in rural areas is a key issue in economic development. While much of the literature on structural transformation has so far focussed on household- or commune levels or even higher aggregate levels, little is known about the individual member level. The paper aims at examining factors that affect the individual-level employment rural transitions in Vietnam, namely: (1) non-transient farm; (2) positive transient farm; (3) out-of-wage transition; (4) transitory farm-household work; and (5) transitory wage-household work. By taking advantage of the Vietnam Access to Resources Household Survey (VARHS) with data on 2,699 individuals for two years, 2008 and 2016, we find that individual-level human capital and social capital are important factors affecting employment transition status in the rural area. In addition, changes in individual and household characteristics and socio-economic conditions at commune level are important to influence various types of employment transitions. These results have implications for the development policy on rural transition in developing countries, highlighting the importance of recognizing the positive aspects of changes in individual-, household-, and commune-levels for rural transformation. Promotion of education attainment is necessary at both individual- and household-level to spur the transition out of farming. Broadened policy mechanisms which support and encourage non-farm employment at the household level are also needed. Likewise, development initiatives that focus on increasing the human and social assets of the individual farmers and farming households are more likely to be successful in supporting livelihood diversification and reducing vulnerability.

The Association Between Unit-Level Workplace Social Capital and Intention to Leave Among Employees in Health Care Settings: A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the multilevel association between workplace social capital and intention to leave among employees in health care settings in Japan. This study was a secondary data analysis of the cross-sectional data. A sample of 658 Japanese employees in health care settings with 17 facilities were recruited using a self-administered questionnaire. Multilevel linear regression analysis of intention to leave on unit-level workplace social capital (average score for each unit) was conducted. Among 317 respondents from 49 units, after adjusting for demographic and work-related variables, both unit-level and individual-level workplace social capital were significantly negatively associated with intention to leave (P < 0.001). The current study found that there was a significant negative association between unit-level workplace social capital and intention to leave in the health care field.

Mediating effects of parental psychological distress and individual-level social capital on the association between child poverty and maltreatment in Japan.

Child poverty is well known as a major risk factor for child maltreatment. However, it is not known whether parental psychological distress and individual-level social capital mediate the association. We examined the mediation effect of these two factors on the association between child poverty and maltreatment. In the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) Study, a questionnaire was administered to all caregivers of first-grade children in every public elementary school in Adachi City between July and November 2015, and valid responses were used for analysis (N = 3944). Logistic and Poisson regression analyses were employed to examine the association between child poverty and maltreatment. Child poverty was defined in this study as meeting one of these criteria: 1) household income less than 3 million yen; 2) deprivation of specific material items that children or the household requires, or 3) experience of being unable to pay for lifeline utilities. Child maltreatment (physical abuse, neglect, and psychological abuse) was answered by parents. We confirmed a robust association between child poverty and maltreatment. Mediation analysis indicated that parental psychological distress mediated more than 60% of the association between child poverty on physical abuse and psychological abuse, while individual-level social capital mediated only 10% of the association with any type of maltreatment. In addition, structural equation modeling analysis revealed that the association was mediated by both parental psychological distress and social capital simultaneously. The findings suggest that supporting parental psychological distress may be an effective intervention to remedy the negative impact of child poverty on maltreatment.