Fredrica Nyqvist

Social capital as a resource for mental well-being in older people: A systematic review

Social capital has previously been reviewed in relation to mental health. However, none have focused specifically on positive aspects of mental health such as mental well-being. This review aimed to explore the relationship between social capital and mental well-being in older people. Ten relevant databases were systematically searched using an extensive search strategy for studies, analyzing the link between social capital and mental well-being. Criteria for inclusion in the systematic review were: the study sample included older people (≥50 years); the study reported a mental well-being outcome; social capital was an exposure variable; and empirical research using quantitative methods and published in English, between January 1990 and September 2011. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Each study was assessed against seven possible exposure measures (structural, cognitive; bonding, bridging, linking; individual, collective). The results showed that all included studies found positive associations between parts of social capital and aspects of mental well-being. Typically, the relationship between social capital and mental well-being differed within as well as between studies. Our results highlight that there is no ‘gold standard’ of how to measure social capital or mental well-being. Social capital is generated in the interaction between individual and collective life. A possibility for future research is therefore to follow Bronfenbrenners classical division into macro, meso, and micro levels. We consider family and friends at the micro level to be the key factors in generating social capital and well-being in older people.

Structural and cognitive social capital and depression among older adults in two Nordic regions

Objective: To study the association between structural and cognitive aspects of social capital and depression among older adults in two Nordic regions. Method: Data were retrieved from a postal survey targeting older adults aged 65, 70, 75 and 80 years (N = 6 838, response rate = 64%) residing in the Västerbotten region (Sweden), and the Österbotten region (Finland) in 2010. The associations between structural (measured by frequency of social contact with friends and neighbours) and cognitive (measured by experienced trust in friends and neighbours) aspects of social capital and depression (measured by Geriatric Depression Scale, GDS-4) were tested by logistic regression analyses. Results: Both low structural and cognitive social capital as defined in the study showed statistically significant associations with depression in older adults. Only experienced trust in neighbours failed to show significant association with depression. In addition, being single and being 80 years of age indicated a higher risk of depression as defined by GDS-4. Conclusion: The findings underline the connection between adequate levels of both structural and cognitive individual social capital and mental health in later life. They also suggest that the connection differs depending on various network types; the cognitive aspect of relationships between friends was connected to depression, while the connection was not found for neighbours. Further, the oldest age group in the sample (80 years of age) is pointed out as a population especially vulnerable for depression that should not be overlooked in mental health promotion and depression prevention.

Cognitive components of social capital and mental health status among older adults: A population-based cross-sectional study:

Aims: To determine the associations between the cognitive aspects of social capital and mental health status in older adults. Methods: Data on older people (65 years of age or older, n = 1,102) were retrieved from a general population mental health survey conducted in Finland in 2008. The response rate was 61%. The associations between self-reported depression (measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form, CIDI-SF) or psychological distress (measured by the General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12) and perceived social support, sense of belonging, and trust were tested by logistic regression analyses. Results: For the cognitive social capital indicators, difficult access to help from neighbours showed a significant association with depression. Furthermore, not having people to count on, experiencing a lack of concern from other people, and feeling mistrust towards other people were all significantly associated with psychological distress. Conclusions: Links between mental health and cognitive social capital indicate that social support and trust may be important factors to consider when developing interventions to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders among older adults.

Understanding the role of social capital for mental wellbeing among older adults

ABSTRACT Previous research applying quantifiable measurements has established significant positive associations between social capital and mental health in older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of social capital affecting mental wellbeing among older people. The study is based on two independent qualitative data materials collected through two focus group interviews and an open-ended question included in a Finnish population-based postal survey. The findings indicate that informal social contacts such as family members and life-long relationships between friends impact the experienced mental wellbeing among older adults due to shared life events, social support, mutual appreciation and trust, as well as a sense of belonging through common social activities. Hence, this study challenges Putnams idea of social capital as a collective concept focusing on formal contacts and the benefits on a collective level. In addition, the findings highlight the obstacles specific to older adults in maintaining social networks and participation, which should be considered in order to promote mental health in later life.

Social capital interventions targeting older people and their impact on health: a systematic review

Background Observational studies show that social capital is a protective health factor. Therefore, we aim to assess the currently unclear health impact of social capital interventions targeting older adults. Methods We conducted a systematic review based on a logic model. Studies published between January 1980 and July 2015 were retrieved from MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science. We included randomised controlled trials targeting participants over 60 years old and focused on social capital or its components (eg, social support and social participation). The comparison group should not promote social capital. We assessed risk of bias and impact on health outcomes and use of health-related resources applying a procedure from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) based on vote-counting and standardised decision rules. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (reference number CRD42014015362). Results We examined 17 341 abstracts and included 73 papers reporting 36 trials. Trials were clinically and methodologically diverse and reported positive effects in different contexts, populations and interventions across multiple subjective and objective measures. According to sufficiently reported outcomes, social capital interventions showed mixed effects on quality of life, well-being and self-perceived health and were generally ineffective on loneliness, mood and mortality. Eight trials with high quality showed favourable impacts on overall, mental and physical health, mortality and use of health-related resources. Conclusions Our review highlights the lack of evidence and the diversity among trials, while supporting the potential of social capital interventions to reach comprehensive health effects in older adults.

Social Capital and Self-rated Health Amongst Older People in Western Finland and Northern Sweden: A Multi-level Analysis

BackgroundSocial capital can be conceptualised as an individual resource residing in relationships between individuals or as a collective resource produced through interactions in neighbourhoods, communities or societies. Previous studies suggest that social capital is, in general, good for health. However, there is a shortage of studies analysing the association between individual and collective social capital in relation to health amongst older people.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between municipal- and individual-level social capital and self-rated health amongst older people in Western Finland and Northern Sweden.MethodData were retrieved from a cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey conducted in 2010. The study included, in total, 6,838 people aged 65, 70, 75 and 80 years living in the two Bothnia regions, Västerbotten, Sweden and Pohjanmaa, Finland. The association between social capital and self-rated health was tested through multi-level logistic regression analyses with ecometric tests. Social capital was measured by two survey items: interpersonal trust and social participation.ResultsIndividual-level social capital including social participation and trust was significantly associated with self-rated health. A negative association was found between municipal-level trust and health. However, almost all variation in self-rated health resided on the individual level.ConclusionsWe conclude that contextual-level social capital on a municipal level is less important for understanding the influence of social capital on health in the Bothnia region of Finland and Sweden. On the other hand, our study shows that individual-level social participation and trust have a positive and significant association with self-rated health. We suggest that other ways of defining social capital at the collective level, such as the inclusion of neighbourhood social capital, could be one direction for future research.

Social capital as a health resource in later life : the relevance of context

1. Healthy ageing: focus on social capital: Fredrica Nyqvist, Anna K. Forsman.- Part I Social capital and health as a resource for the individual: 2. Social network type and health among older Americans: Sharon Shiovitz-Ezra, Howard Litwin.- 3. Dynamic social capital and mental health in late life: Tal Spalter, Ariela Lowenstein, Noah Lewin-Epstein.- 4. The importance of social capital for health among older people: the Bourdieu perspective: Johanna Muckenhuber, Nathalie Burkert, Franziska Grossschadl, Rasky Eva.- 5. Social capital and neighbourhood in older peoples housing: Anne Gray.- Part II Social capital and health in the neighbourhood context: 6. Influence of living arrangements of community dwelling older adults on the association between social capital and health: Julie A. Norstrand, Allen Glicksman.- 7. Perceived social capital in self-defined urban neighbourhoods as a resource for healthy aging: Roman Kaspar, Frank Oswald, Jakob Hebsaker.- 8. Neighbourhood social capital and womens self-rated health - Is there an age pattern? A multi-level study from Northern Sweden: Malin Eriksson, Nawi Ng.- 9. Building social capital may protect loss of well-being among older people: Jane Murray Cramm, Anna Petra Nieboer.- Part III Social capital and health in various countries: 10. Social capital and self-rated health in older populations in lower- and upper-middle income countries in Africa and Asia: Nawi Ng, Malin Eriksson.- 11. Social participation and health: a cross-country investigation among older Europeans: Nicolas Sirven, Caroline Berchet, Howard Litwin.- 12. Social capital and self-rated health among ageing people in urban and rural locations in Finland and in Europe: Olli Nummela.- 13. The role of welfare states and social capital for self-rated health among older Europeans: Mikael Rostila, Mikael Nygard, Fredrica Nyqvist.- Part IV Implications and recommendations for research and practice: 14. How to manage with related concepts of research on wellbeing and health - a theoretical review with special reference to later life: Sakari Suominen.- 15. Social capital and mental health promotion among older adults: the psychosocial approach: Anna K. Forsman, Johanna Nordmyr.- 16. Concluding remarks: Anna K. Forsman, Fredrica Nyqvist.- Index.

Social capital and reported discrimination among people with depression in 15 European countries

PurposeSocial capital is a protective factor for mental health. People with depression are vulnerable to discrimination and its damaging impact. No previous studies have explored the link between social capital and experienced or anticipated discrimination in people with depression. This study aims to test the hypothesis that levels of self-reported discrimination in people with depression are inversely associated with social capital levels.MethodA total of 434 people with major depression recruited in outpatient settings across 15 European countries participated in the study. Multivariable regression was used to analyse relationships between discrimination and interpersonal and institutional trust, social support and social network.ResultsSignificant inverse association was found between discrimination and social capital in people with major depression. Specifically, people with higher levels of social capital were less likely to have elevated or substantially elevated levels of experienced discrimination.ConclusionsHigher level of social capital may be closely associated with lower level of experienced discrimination among patients with major depression. It is important to explore these associations more deeply and to establish possible directions of causality in order to identify interventions that may promote social capital and reduce discrimination. This may permit greater integration in society and more access to important life opportunities for people with depression.

A comparison of older workers’ and retired older people’s social capital and sense of mastery

Aim: To assess if older people with higher levels of social capital experience higher levels of sense of mastery than those with lower levels of social capital and to assess whether this association is stronger for retired older people than for older workers. Methods: The data originates from a general population mental health survey conducted among 2610 older people (50 years of age or older) in Finland in 2011. The response rate was 57.1%. The association between sense of mastery, measured by Pearlin’s Sense of Mastery Scale, and social capital, measured by social networks, organisational activities, trust, and sense of belonging, were tested by logistic regression analyses. Results: The results showed that older workers experienced greater sense of mastery than retired older people. Trust and neighbourhood belonging were positively associated with sense of mastery. Conclusions: Inequalities in mental wellbeing between older people included in or excluded from the workforce are a public health challenge. Our findings imply that social capital needs to be prioritised as a means for enhancing mental health. More attention should be paid to promote mental wellbeing in retired older people.

Social participation, interpersonal trust, and health: A study of 65- and 75-year-olds in western Finland

Aim: To study the association between social participation, interpersonal trust, and self-rated health among 65- and 75-year-olds. Methods: The data originates from a cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey conducted among 1577 persons aged 65 and 75 years in western Finland (response rate 67%). Logistic regression analyses were performed in order to investigate the association between social capital – in terms social participation and interpersonal trust – and health while controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: The results showed that the social participation indicator (“active membership in organisations”) was positively associated with health among 75-year-olds, but not among 65-year-olds. By contrast, interpersonal trust was positively associated with health in both age groups. Conclusions: The results imply that social participation and its association with health is moderated by age, whereas interpersonal trust is not.