Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T20:48:17.707Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social capital and self-rated health among older adults: a comparative analysis of Finland, Poland and Spain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2014

ELENI KOUTSOGEORGOU ,
FREDRICA NYQVIST ,
MIKAEL NYGÅRD ,
MILDA CERNIAUSKAITE ,
RUI QUINTAS ,
ALBERTO RAGGI  and
MATILDE LEONARDI
ELENI KOUTSOGEORGOU*
Affiliation:
Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, IRCCS Foundation, Milan, Italy.
FREDRICA NYQVIST
Affiliation:
Mental Health Promotion Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Vaasa, Finland.
MIKAEL NYGÅRD
Affiliation:
Department of Social Sciences, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland.
MILDA CERNIAUSKAITE
Affiliation:
Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, IRCCS Foundation, Milan, Italy.
RUI QUINTAS
Affiliation:
Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, IRCCS Foundation, Milan, Italy.
ALBERTO RAGGI
Affiliation:
Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, IRCCS Foundation, Milan, Italy.
MATILDE LEONARDI
Affiliation:
Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, IRCCS Foundation, Milan, Italy.
*
Address for correspondence: Eleni Koutsogeorgou, Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Scientific Directorate, Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, IRCCS Foundation, Via G. Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the association between structural and cognitive aspects of social capital and self-rated health among adults aged 50 or more, living in three countries: Finland, Poland and Spain. The study, which was based on data from the European Social Survey (2008/09), was a part of the EU research project COURAGE in Europe. More specifically the paper assesses the association between social capital indicators – informal social network and general trust – and good self-rated health through single-level and joint effects analyses. The results showed that Finland was a country of high social capital, in terms of both social networks and general trust, while Spain showed low levels of general trust and Poland low levels of informal social networks. As to the association between social capital and self-rated health, high levels of general trust and high networks were found to be associated with good health among all countries' respondents. Older persons living in partnerships, with higher education, higher levels of engagement in informal networks and general trust, were found to be more likely to show good self-rated health. Our comparative analyses revealed different associations between social capital and health according to country.

Keywords

ageingsocial capitaltrustsocial networksself-rated healthFinlandPolandSpain
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , March 2015 , pp. 653 - 667
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beaudoin, C. E. 2009. Bonding and bridging neighborliness: an individual-level study in the context of health. Social Science & Medicine, 68, 12, 2129–36.Google Scholar
Berkman, L. F. and Glass, T. 2000. Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. In Berkman, L. F. and Kawachi, I. (eds), Social Epidemiology. Oxford University Press, New York, 137–73.Google Scholar
Berry, H. L. 2008. Social capital elite, excluded participators, busy working parents and aging, participating less: types of community participators and their mental health. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 43, 7, 527–37.Google Scholar
Carlson, P. 2004. The European health divide: a matter of financial or social capital? Social Science & Medicine, 59, 9, 1985–92.Google Scholar
Chappell, N. L. and Funk, L. M. 2010. Social capital: does it add to the health inequalities debate? Social Indicators Research, 99, 3, 357–73.Google Scholar
Cousins, M. 2005. European Welfare States: Comparative Perspectives. Sage, London.Google Scholar
Dahl, E. and Malmberg-Heimonen, I. 2010. Social inequality and health: the role of social capital. Sociology of Health & Illness, 32, 7, 1102–19.Google Scholar
Engström, K., Mattsson, F., Jarleborg, A. and Hallqvist, J. 2008. Contextual social capital as a risk factor for poor self-rated health: a multilevel analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 66, 11, 2268–80.Google Scholar
Esping-Andersen, G. 1990. The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Polity Press and Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.Google Scholar
European Commission 2011. Synthesis Report on the Public Consultation on the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. Available online at http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/pdf/active-healthy-ageing/consultation/consultation_report.pdf [Accessed 16 May 2011].Google Scholar
Gele, A. A. and Harsløf, I. 2010. Types of social capital resources and self-rated health among the Norwegian adult population. International Journal for Equity in Health, 9, 8. Available online at http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/9/1/8 [Accessed 16 May 2011].Google Scholar
Giordano, G. N. and Lindström, M. 2010. The impact of changes in different aspects of social capital and material conditions on self-rated health over time: a longitudinal cohort study. Social Science & Medicine, 70, 5, 700–10.Google Scholar
Huijts, T. and Kraaykamp, G. 2012. Formal and informal social capital and self-rated health in Europe: a new test of accumulation and compensation mechanisms using a multi-level perspective. Acta Sociologica, 55, 2, 143–58.Google Scholar
Islam, M. K., Merlo, J., Kawachi, I., Lingstrom, M. and Gerthan, U. G. 2006. Social capital and health: does egalitarianism matter? A literature survey. International Journal for Equity in Health, 5, 3.Google Scholar
Knesebeck, O., Dragano, N. and Siegrist, J. 2005. Social capital and self-rated health in 21 European countries. Psycho-Social Medicine, [online]. 23 February, 2, doc 02.Google Scholar
Knesebeck, O. and Geyer, S. 2007. Emotional support, education and self-rated health in 22 European countries. BMC Public Health, 7, http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-7-272.pdf.Google Scholar
Kumlin, S. and Rothstein, B. 2005. Making and breaking social capital. The impact of welfare-state institutions. Comparative Political Studies, 38, 4, 339–65.Google Scholar
Lindström, M. 2009. Marital status, social capital, material conditions and self-rated health: a population-based study. Health Policy, 93, 2–3, 172–9.Google Scholar
Mackenbach, J. P., van den Bos, J., Joung, I. M., van de Mheen, H. and Stronks, K. 1994. The determinants of excellent health: different from the determinants of ill-health. International Journal of Epidemiology, 23, 6, 1273–81.Google Scholar
Manderbacka, K., Lahelma, E. and Martikainen, P. 1998. Examining the continuity of self-rated health. International Journal of Epidemiology, 27, 2, 208–13.Google Scholar
Mansyur, C., Amick, B. C., Harrist, R. B. and Franzini, L. 2008. Social capital, income inequality, and self-rated health in 45 countries. Social Science & Medicine, 66, 1, 43–56.Google Scholar
Mohnen, S. M., Groenewegen, P. P., Völker, B. and Flap, H. 2011. Neighborhood social capital and individual health. Social Science & Medicine, 72, 5, 660–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Möhring, K. 2012. The fixed effects approach as alternative to multilevel models for cross-national analyses. WP 16/2012, GK SOCLIFE Working Paper Series. Available online at http://www.soclife.uni-koeln.de/fileadmin/wiso_fak/gk_soclife/pdf/Working_papers/KMoehring_2012a_ssrn_the_fixed_effects.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2013].Google Scholar
Moore, S., Bockenholt, U., Daniel, M., Frohlich, K., Kestens, Y. and Richard, L. 2011. Social capital and core network ties: a validation study of individual-level social capital measures and their association with extra- and intra-neighborhood ties, and self-rated health. Health Place, 17, 2, 536–44.Google Scholar
Nieminen, T., Martelin, T., Koskinen, S., Aro, H., Alanen, E. and Hyyppa, M. T. 2010. Social capital as a determinant of self-rated health and psychological well-being. International Journal of Public Health, 55, 6, 531–42.Google Scholar
Nummela, O., Sulander, T., Karisto, A. and Uutela, A. 2009. Self-rated health and social capital among aging people across the urban–rural dimension. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16, 2, 189–94.Google Scholar
Nyqvist, F., Forsman, A. K., Giuntoli, G. and Cattan, M. 2013. Social capital as a resource for mental well-being in older people: a systematic review. Aging & Mental Health, 17, 4, 394–410.Google Scholar
Nyqvist, F. and Nygård, M. 2013. Is the association between social capital and health robust across Nordic regions? Evidence from a cross-sectional study of older adults. International Journal of Social Welfare, 22, 2, 119–29.Google Scholar
Olsen, K. M. and Dahl, S. 2007. Health differences between European countries. Social Science & Medicine, 64, 8, 1665–78.Google Scholar
Pichler, F. and Wallace, C. 2007. Patterns of formal and informal social capital in Europe. European Sociological Review, 23, 4, 423–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pollack, C. E. and Knesebeck, O. 2004. Social capital and health among the aged: comparisons between the United States and Germany. Health & Place, 10, 4, 383–91.Google Scholar
Poortinga, W. 2006. Social capital: an individual or collective resource for health? Social Science & Medicine, 62, 2, 292–302.Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 1993. The prosperous community: social capital and public life. American Prospect, 21 March. Available online at http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_prosperous_community# [Accessed 4 April 2011].Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 1995. Bowling alone: America's declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6, 1, 65–78.Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster, New York.Google Scholar
Rostila, M. 2007. Social capital and health in European welfare regimes: a multilevel approach. Journal of European Social Policy, 17, 3, 223–39.Google Scholar
Rostila, M. 2013. Social Capital and Health Inequality in European Welfare States. Palgrave Macmillan, London.Google Scholar
Sundquist, K. and Yang, M. 2007. Linking social capital and self-rated health: a multilevel analysis of 11,175 men and women in Sweden. Health & Place, 13, 2, 324–34.Google Scholar
Van Deth, J. W. 2008. Measuring social capital. In Castiglione, D., , van Deth, , J. W. and Wolleb, G. (eds), The Handbook of Social Capital. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 150–76.Google Scholar
Van Oorschot, W., Arts, W. and Gelissen, J. 2006. Social capital in Europe: Measurement and Social and Regional Distribution of a Multifaceted Phenomenon. Acta Sociologica, 49, 2, 149–67.Google Scholar
Van Oorschot, W. and Finsveen, E. 2009. The welfare state and social capital inequality. An empirical exploration using longitudinal European/World Values Study data from 13 Western welfare states. European Societies, 11, 2, 189–201.Google Scholar
Veenstra, G. 2000. Social capital, SES and health: an individual-level analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 50, 5, 619–29.Google Scholar
Walsh, P. N., Heller, T., Schupf, N. and Van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk, H. 2001. Healthy ageing – adults with intellectual disabilities: women's health and related issues. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 14, 3, 195–217.Google Scholar
Yiengprugsawan, V., Khamman, S., Seubsman, S., Lim, L. L.-Y. and Sleigh, A. C. 2011. Social capital and health in a national cohort of 82,482 Open University adults in Thailand. Journal of Health Psychology, 16, 4, 632–42.Google Scholar