According to sufficiently reported outcomes , social capital interventions showed mixed effects on quality of life , well-being and self-perceived health and were generally ineffective on loneliness , mood and mortality .
Conclusions Our review highlights the lack of evidence and the diversity among trials , while supporting the potential of social capital interventions to reach comprehensive health effects in older adults
Background Observational studies show that social capital is a protective health factor .
Therefore , we aim to assess the currently unclear health impact of social capital interventions targeting older adults .
A prospective study of individual-level social capital and major depression in the United States
Study objective : To investigate prospect ively the associations between depression and cognitive social capital ( social trust , sense of belonging , mutual aid ) and structural social capital ( volunteer work and community participation ) . Methods : This was a prospect i ve study that was carried out in the USA . The participants were a nationally representative sample of 724 English-speaking non-institutionalised adults ( 25–74 years old ) who participated in the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States ( MIDUS ) in 1995–6 and the MIDUS Psychological Experience Follow-Up study in 1998 . Main results : In multivariable adjusted logistic regression analyses , those who trusted their neighbours were less likely to develop major depression ( MD ) during follow-up than those who reported low levels of social capital on these dimensions ( adjusted OR of MD for high vs low trust = 0.43 ; 95 % CI 0.20 to 0.93 , adjusted for MD at baseline , age , gender , race , education , working status , marital status , physical health and extroversion traits ) . Structural dimensions of social capital were not associated with MD in adjusted models . Conclusions : Perceptions of higher levels of cognitive social capital ( trust of neighbours ) are associated with lower risks of developing MD during 2–3 year follow-up . However , after excluding participants with MD at the baseline , the association between trust and MD became non-significant . Structural dimensions were not associated with MD
According to sufficiently reported outcomes , social capital interventions showed mixed effects on quality of life , well-being and self-perceived health and were generally ineffective on loneliness , mood and mortality .
Conclusions Our review highlights the lack of evidence and the diversity among trials , while supporting the potential of social capital interventions to reach comprehensive health effects in older adults
Background Observational studies show that social capital is a protective health factor .
Therefore , we aim to assess the currently unclear health impact of social capital interventions targeting older adults .