Social capital and self-rated health – A study of temporal (causal) relationships

Abstract

Despite the vast amount of research over the past fifteen years, there is still lively debate surrounding the role of social capital on individual health outcomes. This seems to stem from a lack of consistency regarding the definition, measurement and plausible theories linking this contextual phenomenon to health. We have further identified a knowledge gap within this field - a distinct lack of research investigating temporal relationships between social capital and health outcomes. To remedy this shortfall, we use four waves of the British Household Panel Survey to follow the same individuals (N = 8114) between years 2000 and 2007. We investigate temporal relationships and association between our outcome variable self-rated health (SRH) and time-lagged explanatory variables, including three individual-level social capital proxies and other well-known health determinants. Our results suggest that levels of the social capital proxy 'generalised trust' at time point (t - 1) are positively associated with SRH at subsequent time point (t), even after taking into consideration levels of other well-known health determinants (such as smoking status) at time point (t - 1). That we investigate temporal relationships at four separate occasions over the seven-year period lends considerable weight to our results and the argument that generalised trust is an independent predictor of individual health. However, lack of consensus across a variety of disciplines as to what generalised trust is believed to measure creates ambiguity when attempting to identify possible pathways from higher trust to better health.

Women׳s views on partnership working with midwives during pregnancy and childbirth

“…However, a review by Uchino et al (2012) over the past thirty years found no evidence to substantiate the link between social support and enhanced health outcomes. A longitudinal study by Giordano et al (2012) suggests that perhaps it is not participation that enhances health outcomes but trust, which they postulated may be mediated via psychosocial pathways. Giordano et al (2012) identified a positive relationship between trust and self-rated health.…”

“…A longitudinal study by Giordano et al (2012) suggests that perhaps it is not participation that enhances health outcomes but trust, which they postulated may be mediated via psychosocial pathways. Giordano et al (2012) identified a positive relationship between trust and self-rated health. Midwifery models of care which provide women with a consistent relationship with a midwife provide an opportunity for the development of a relationship of trust.…”

Perceived neighbourhood cohesion and health among mid-aged Australian women

“…[54,75,178] A notable gap in the literature on associations between neighbourhood cohesion and health is the effect of the above-mentioned limitations of study design. While recent studies have progressed knowledge by using longitudinal or time-lagged health data (for example [53,179], limited attention has been given to the measurement of neighbourhood cohesion and to the role of covariates in associations with health.…”

“…Australian studies have found that people feel safer and are more trusting in rural areas. [37,110] It may also be that trust and perceptions of safety are relatively stable personal characteristics, [179] so changing address does not greatly affect them. It was beyond the scope of this thesis to determine whether the perceived neighbourhood safety variables related to trust.…”

“…Commonly used indicators of this form of social support include: marital status; frequency of contact with family, friends and neighbours; participation in group activities; and church or religious affiliations. [18,179] This conceptualisation of social support overlaps with the dimensions of social capital that relate to social participation and social networks. [15,214,215] While the size of social networks has been associated with health, [18,[216][217][218] it appears that the functional value of social relationships is more consistently associated with health.…”