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Social networks protect individuals from mental health conditions of depression and anxiety. The association between each social network type and its mental health implications in the Indian population remains unclear. The study aims to determine the association of depression and anxiety with different social network types in the participants of a community cohort. We conducted a cross-sectional household survey among people aged ≥30 years in geographically defined catchment areas of Kerala, India. We used cross-culturally validated assessment tools to measure depression, anxiety and social networks. An educated male belonging to higher income quartiles, without any disability, within a family dependent network has lower odds of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, 28, 26.8, 25.7, 9.8 and 9.7% of participants belonged to private restricted, locally integrated, wider community-focused, family-dependent and locally self-contained networks, respectively. Close ties with family, neighbours, and community had significantly lower odds of anxiety and depression than private restricted networks. The clustering of people to each social network type and its associated mental health conditions can inform social network-based public health interventions to optimize positive health outcomes in the community cohort.

Social work practice in a global context requires an understanding of the cross-cultural nature of practice settings in local communities and globally. One step to developing this understanding of the internationalisation of social work education, including the student internship, is to incorporate supervision by local practitioners and educators. A qualitative interview study of fourteen social work students from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the USA completing internships in the Southwest Indian state of Kerala revealed themes of increased practice knowledge, practice skills, understanding of cross-cultural values and ethics, critical reflection and research skills development as a result of reflexive supervision provided to them by practitioners in their internship agencies and faculty from their host and home institutions. This challenging of views within one’s own culture, promoted by supervision, leads to increased capacity to engage in critical anti-oppressive practice amongst social workers.

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