Community-based structural social capital and depressive symptoms of older urban Chinese adults: The mediating role of cognitive social capital

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 74-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Lu ◽  
Changmin Peng
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S637-S637
Author(s):  
Changmin Peng ◽  
Jeffery A Burr ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Nan Lu

Abstract Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are increasingly important for older adults who want to maintain their independence and remain in their communities. Although HCBS systems have been developed widely in many western countries and in some countries in Asia, China is just beginning to grapple with its rapidly aging population by offering HCBS in a limited fashion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between structural (e.g., citizenship activities, volunteering) and cognitive (e.g., social trust, a sense of belonging) social capital and HCBS utilization among older Chinese adults. The study also examined the mediating effect of structural social capital for the the relationship between cognitive social capital and HCBS utilization. We frame the study within the Andersen behavioral model of health services utilization and argue that within this framework social capital is an enabling factor. We analyzed survey data from 456 community-dwelling older adults living in the Gusu district of the city of Suzhou, China in 2015. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The results showed that both cognitive and structural social capital were significantly associated with HCBS utilization. Structural social capital also served as a mediator between cognitive social capital and HCBS utilization, even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and other relevant covariates. The findings supported the utility of employing Andersen’s behavioral model and social capital theory for better understanding older Chinese adults’ utilization of HCBS. Interventions for increasing social capital may be useful for improving HCBS utilization in Chinese urban communities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-316
Author(s):  
Jingyue Zhang ◽  
Nan Lu

The present study examined the moderating role of family social capital in the relationship between community-based cognitive social capital and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults in urban China. Cross-sectional data were derived from a community survey conducted in Suzhou, China, in late 2015. Data from 441 respondents were included in the final analysis. Multiple group analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The latent construct of community-based cognitive social capital was based on trust and reciprocity indicators. Measurement invariance was established across groups with high or low family social capital. The results show that family social capital had a moderation effect on the relationship between community-based cognitive social capital and depressive symptoms. The effects of community-based cognitive social capital on depressive symptoms were higher among those with low family social capital. The findings demonstrate the interplay between family and community-based cognitive social capital. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 629-629
Author(s):  
Tingzhong (Michelle) Xue ◽  
Zahra Rahmaty ◽  
Eleanor McConnell ◽  
Yingzhi (Lindsay) Xu ◽  
Kirsten Corazzini

Abstract Social capital, conceptualized as resources arising from social networks, is receiving increased attention for its role in prevention and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and depression that commonly co-occur. Although social capital has been linked to control of blood glucose and depression, previous research has not considered these two outcomes simultaneously while distinguishing between cognitive (i.e., perceived social support, shared values and trust in community) and structural (i.e., social connectedness and participation) domains. This study examined how these two domains of social capital relate to glucose control and depressive symptoms, and whether physical exercise and care access mediate those relationships, using structural equation modeling. The sample included 3,043 older adults aged 57 and above from wave 2 of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project. Although a higher level of cognitive social capital was associated with higher levels of physical exercise (b=.38, p<.001), access to care (b=.40, p=.007), lower levels of blood glucose (b=-.43, p<.001) and depressive symptoms (b=-.84, p<.001), a higher level of structural social capital was associated only with a higher level of physical exercise (b=.16, p=.002). The mediating effects of physical exercise and access to care were not significant. Findings suggest that cognitive social capital may have greater influence on blood glucose and depressive symptoms than structural social capital, and therefore have different implications for practice, especially in the context of pandemic-related disruptions to social capital. Future research should examine other mediators and investigate how promotion of cognitive social capital might improve health outcomes.


Author(s):  
Qian Sun ◽  
Nan Lu

Although social capital has been found to be an important social determinant of mental health in later life, research on social capital in the context of COVID-19 and the interplay among subdimensions of social capital is lacking. The present study examined the mediating role of cognitive social capital on the relationship between structural social capital and mental health among older adults in urban China in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from the Yangpu district in Shanghai, China, in July–August 2020. A quota sampling approach was used to recruit 472 respondents aged 60 years and older from 23 communities in the Yangpu district. Mental health was measured by depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Cognitive social capital was assessed through trust and reciprocity, and structural social capital was assessed through organization memberships, and COVID-19 related volunteering and citizenship activity. Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediation model. The results show that cognitive social capital had a full mediation effect on the association between structural social capital and mental health indicators (life satisfaction: b = 0.122, SD = 0.029, p < 0.001; depressive symptoms: b = −0.343, SD = 0.119, p < 0.01). The findings indicate that social capital can play an important role in sustaining and improving mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 728-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Filieri ◽  
Salma Alguezaui

Purpose – This paper aims to address the gap that, to date, no systematic review has been carried out on the role that structural social capital (SC) plays for knowledge transfer and innovation at the interpersonal, inter-unit and inter-firm levels. Individuals and organisations are becoming increasingly involved in collaboration networks to share knowledge and generate innovation. SC theory has been adopted in several areas of study to explain how individuals, groups and organisations manage relationships to generate innovation. Design/methodology/approach – This review covers studies of SC in organisational behaviour, strategy and management over a period of 20 years. Findings – The literature review shows that knowledge types and knowledge transfer processes are the missing links in the relationship between structural SC and innovation. Moreover, the paper demonstrates that seemingly opposite configurations of SC are complementary to each other (structural holes vs dense networks; strong vs weak ties) and that contextual factors should be considered when discussing the effects of SC on knowledge transfer and innovation. In addition, it is the balance of different configurations of SC which enables an individual or a company to explore, access, assimilate and combine different knowledge types, which will lead to improved innovation outcomes. Originality/value – This review facilitates understanding of the role of SC for knowledge transfer processes and the mediating role of knowledge transfer processes and knowledge types in the relationship between structural SC and innovation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyi Li ◽  
Mengyao Yang

Exploring the social factors of mental health among older adults has become a hot topic. This study aimed to examine the relationships between internet use, social capital and depressive symptoms in older adults. Our data were derived from a sample of 6,840 respondents aged 60 and over in the 2018 wave of the China Family Panel Studies. The ordinary least square (OLS) regression results showed that both Internet use characteristics (including access, emotional activities, and online time) and social capital components (including contact with adult children and trust) were protective factors for the prevention of depressive symptoms among older adults. The generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) results displayed that Internet use not only had a negatively direct effect on depressive symptoms, but also generated a negatively indirect effect on depressive symptoms by structural social capital (i.e., contact with adult children), suggesting that structural social capital mediated the above link. Conversely, the indirect effects of internet use on depressive symptoms via cognitive social capital (i.e., interpersonal trust and institutional trust) were significantly positive, indicating that the relationship between Internet use and depressive symptoms was suppressed by cognitive social capital. These findings address the gaps in previous research on older adults' mental health and have practical implications for policy makers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Nan Lu ◽  
Bei Wu ◽  
Yaolin Pei ◽  
Changmin Peng

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study examined the relationships between social capital, perceived neighborhood environment, and depressive symptoms among older adults living in rural China, and the moderating effect of self-rated health (SRH) in these relationships. Participants: A quota sampling method was applied to recruit 447 participants aged 60 years and older in rural communities in Jilin province, China in 2019. Measurements: Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to build latent constructs of social capital and test the proposed model. Multiple group analysis was used to test the moderation effects. Results: Cognitive social capital and structural social capital were both associated with depressive symptoms controlling for participants’ demographics, socioeconomic status, and health status. After adding perceived environment variables in the model, the relationship between cognitive social capital and depressive symptoms became nonsignificant, while structural social capital remained became a significant factor (β = −.168, p < .01). Satisfaction with health care was significantly associated with depressive symptoms among those with poor SRH (β = −.272, p < .01), whereas satisfaction with security and transportation were strongly associated with depressive symptoms among those with good SRH (security: β = −.148, p < .01; transportation: β = −.174, p < .01). Conclusions: Study findings highlighted the importance of social capital and neighborhood environment as potential protective factors of depressive symptoms in later life. Policy and intervention implications were also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-367
Author(s):  
Ana-Elia Ramón-Hidalgo ◽  
Howard W. Harshaw ◽  
Robert A. Kozak ◽  
David B. Tindall

A growing body of scholars in natural resources management have called for the examination of the roles of social capital and social networks in the effective maintenance of community-based projects. Yet, the role of social capital in collective action cannot be effectively understood without studying agency. The goal of this study is to examine how agents’ individual characteristics and their structural social capital, along with broader cognitive social capital elements, shape possibilities for empowerment at the community level. Drawing from an embedded comparative case study of two community-based ecotourism projects in Ghana, we employed a mixed-methods approach combining Lin’s social capital model and Krishna’s agency model to identify and characterize legitimate agents of change in each community, as well as to evaluate the structure of their discussion and nomination networks (i.e., structural social capital). Differences between communities in the network structure of agents, as well as in their types and levels of engagement, resourcefulness, visions and perceptions of socio-ecological context, exposed key barriers to social capital mobilization. Overall, our results indicate that greater community empowerment is reported where greater community trust and a greater cohesiveness of agents with access to external resources are reported. Altogether, this study adds to past efforts in illustrating how a mixed-methods examination of change agents in a CBNRM setting can surface internal opportunities for and constraints on social capital mobilization toward community empowerment.


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