Healthy by Association: The relationship between social participation and self‐rated physical and psychological health

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the structure of social interaction has changed dramatically. Individuals are now less likely to develop social relationships outside their families. This pattern is especially noticeable in developed countries (Putnam, 1995(Putnam, , 2001.Using data from the US General Social Survey, Putnam (2001) shows a decline in social capital along several dimensions (e.g., memberships in civic organisations, participation in labour unions, etc.) to the point where many feel isolated and reluctant to even talk about important matters. Putnam suggests that one of the major causes for this is the fact that the only organisation which increased their membership from 1950 until today do not tend to foster face-toface interaction. 1 More recently, McPherson et al. (2008) documented that the number of Americans reporting no one to discuss important matters with nearly tripled between 1985 and 2005, with a reduction in mean network size of about a third to only one friend. McPherson et al. (2008) further show that both family and nonfamily peers were declining, but the greater decrease of non-family ties leads to more confidant networks being centred on spouses and parents, with fewer external contacts. The largest losses have come from the ties that connect individuals to the community. The loss in socialising time is also attributable to the changes in working schedules and opportunity costs of time, making it even more costly for individuals to undertake time-intensive health-enhancing activities with their friends (Burton & Turrell, 2000;Campbell, 2002;Kouvonen et al., 2005).Social isolation is pervasive in modern society, prompting many countries around the world to take action. 2 This is because social isolation is not just a problem by itself but it poses some serious health concerns. Less socially connected individuals have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. 3 There is also evidence these effects start early. 4 Despite the rich evidence on the health effects of social isolation, it is not clear what works best to address the issue.

Examining The Relationship Between University Students’ Leisure Time Exercise Levels and Life Skills According to Their Participation in E-Sports

“…This finding suggests that e-sports may have a negative impact on some life skills. Active participation in social settings or sports organizations improves physical and psychological health, which can be personally assessed (Barbieri, 2021). At the same time, according to Stevens et al (2020), strong social identities in physical activity groups are positively associated with increased participation.…”

The Relationship between Social Participation and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Activities of Daily Living

“…Ensuring the social participation of older people is a key aspect in addressing the issue of population aging. Previous studies have found that social participation among older people contributes to their physical and mental health (Barbieri, 2021;Zhang et al, 2022) [9,10], but further veri cation is needed regarding its impact on cognitive function.…”

Association between Social Participation and Remaining Teeth and Urban–Rural Difference among Older Adults in China

“…Social participation is assumed to influence health through two potential ways (i.e., direct effects and buffering effects), as a direct effect, social participation is related to more frequent and regular physical activity and interaction, which contribute to the improved physical-health status and reduce the risk of mental illness [12,14]. Social participation can act as a buffer by providing access to more available social support and additional resources to enhance suitable coping mechanisms for stressful events and healthpromotion mechanism based on information access and behavior intervention [15,16].…”