Network-based and cohesion-based social capital and variations in depressive symptoms among Taiwanese adults

Yun-Hsuan Wu; Kellee White; Nancy L Fleischer; Bo Cai; Shing-Chia Chen; Spencer Moore

doi:10.1177/0020764018808326

Network-based and cohesion-based social capital and variations in depressive symptoms among Taiwanese adults

Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2018 Dec;64(8):726-736. doi: 10.1177/0020764018808326. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Authors

Yun-Hsuan Wu^{1

2}, Kellee White^{2

3}, Nancy L Fleischer⁴, Bo Cai², Shing-Chia Chen⁵, Spencer Moore⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
³ Health Services Administration, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
⁴ Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health and Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁵ School of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.

PMID: 30375248
DOI: 10.1177/0020764018808326

Abstract

Background: Network- and cohesion-based social capital may play an important role in improving mental health. However, there is limited understanding about these relationships among adults in Taiwan.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the association between individual-level network and cohesion-based social capital and depressive symptoms among a population-based sample of Taiwanese adults.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 1997 Taiwan Social Change Survey (n = 2,598). The 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptom scores; ⩾16 represented high depressive symptoms. Network-based social capital was measured using a position generator. Two dimensions of cohesion-based social capital were assessed: cognitive (perceived neighborhood trust and reciprocity) and structural (local community participation and organizational participation). Multivariable log-binomial regression models, weighted to account for the complex sampling design and adjusted for confounders, estimated prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine the association between each social capital measure and depressive symptoms.

Results: In this study, 29.6% of respondents were classified as having high depressive symptom scores. Higher scores of composite cognitive social capital (adjusted Prevalence Ratios (aPR) = 0.92, 95% CI = [0.90, 0.95]) and structural social capital (aPR = 0.80, 95% CI = [0.65, 0.99]) were associated with a lower likelihood of high depressive symptom scores after controlling for confounders. However, there was no association between network social capital and depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that the relationship between social capital and depressive symptoms in Taiwan differs according to the specific dimension of social capital assessed. Differentiating between network- and cohesion-based social capital merits greater attention to inform our understanding of building social capital to promote and improve mental health outcomes.

Keywords: Taiwan; adults; depressive symptoms; social capital.

MeSH terms

Adult
Community Participation* / psychology
Community Participation* / statistics & numerical data
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression / diagnosis
Depression / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations*
Male
Mental Health* / standards
Mental Health* / statistics & numerical data
Prevalence
Social Capital*
Social Networking*
Social Support
Taiwan / epidemiology