Effects of multi-dimensional social capital on mental health of children in poverty: An empirical study in Mainland China

The More, the Better? Social Capital Profiles and Adolescent Internalizing Symptoms: A Latent Profile Analysis

Past research suggests that offline and online social capital are empirically linked to adolescent psychological adjustment. However, little is known regarding the implications of distinctive combinations of social capital for adolescent internalizing symptoms. The present study aimed to examine adolescent social capital patterns and their associations with internalizing symptoms by using latent profile analysis. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among 1595 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 14.30 years, 50.7% male). All adolescents completed self-report questionnaires on their perceived offline and online social capital, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. Latent profile analysis revealed four profiles of social capital: (1) Low Social Capital, (2) Moderate Social Capital, (3) High Social Capital, and (4) Only High Offline Social Capital. Further, analysis of covariance demonstrated that the Only High Offline Social Capital profile had significantly fewer internalizing symptoms than other three profiles. No statistical differences of internalizing symptoms were found between the other three profiles, except that the Moderate Social Capital profile showed fewer anxiety symptoms than the Low Social Capital profile. These findings suggest that more social capital does not equal to better mental health status. The social capital profiles and their associations with adolescent internalizing symptoms may provide practitioners with meaningful implications regarding the role of offline and online social capital in adolescent psychological adjustment.

Does social capital aid in leveling the income gradient in child mental health? A structural analysis of the left-behind and not-left-behind Chinese children

BACKGROUND

Few prior studies have investigated the income gradient in child mental health from a socio-environmental perspective. In an age when child mental health problems in a rapidly changing social environment have become a worldwide issue, an understanding of the socio-environmental mechanisms of the income disparities in child mental health outcomes is imperative and cost-effective.

METHODS

By conducting structural equation analyses with Chinese nationally representative survey data, this study explored the family income gradient in child depression and its potential socio-environmental pathways at the neighborhood, family and school levels, differentiating left-behind and not-left-behind children.

RESULTS

We found a robust family income gradient in depressive symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion mitigated the income gradient in depressive symptoms by playing a suppression role. School social capital acted as a mediator. Neighborhood trust, neighborhood safety and family social capital played no significant impact. The mitigating and mediating roles of social capital components were significant among only the not-left-behind children.

CONCLUSIONS

To reduce income-related inequalities in child mental health in the long run, integrating policies that directly reduce poverty with policies that improve distal socio-environments is necessary.

Does Neighborhood Social Capital Longitudinally Affect the Nutritional Status of School-Aged Children? Evidence from China

Previous research linking social capital to child nutritional status primarily constitutes cross-sectional studies. To investigate whether a longitudinal relationship exists, by conducting fixed-effects analyses with 16,977 repeatedly measured observations of 6193 children from the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 China Family Panel Studies, this study explored the longitudinal effects of neighborhood participation, bonding trust, and bridging trust on the BMI-for-age z-score (BAZ) and BMI categories of school-aged children, differentiating between urban and rural residence. We found an increasing average BAZ, a decreasing prevalence of underweight, an increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity, and a reducing urban/rural gap in nutritional status. The levels of social capital components descended faster in the urban area. Bonding trust was predictive of a lower BAZ, a higher likelihood of being underweight, and a lower likelihood of being overweight/obese. Bridging trust was predictive of a higher BAZ. The longitudinal effects of bonding trust were significant among only the rural children. Our findings indicate that neighborhood social capital may impose causal impacts on the nutritional status of children. To effectively improve child nutritional status, a more empathetic governmental approach that promotes a more supportive distal social environment is needed.

The Impact of Social Capital on Multidimensional Poverty of Rural Households in China

Getting rid of multidimensional poverty is both the people's wish and the direction of governance. Based on 2018 China Household Tracking Survey (CFPS) data, this paper identifies household multidimensional poverty in rural areas using a combination of the MPI index and the A-F method. The relationship between social capital and multidimensional poverty was also empirically analyzed using a Logit model. The results showed that: (1) 1599 multidimensional poverty households were identified, the incidence of multidimensional poverty was 24.94%, and the multidimensional poverty index was 0.103. In terms of poverty incidence, the three highest indicators of poverty incidence are adult education, health, and chronic diseases, reaching 42.06%, 37.65%, and 29.90%, respectively, and mainly concentrated in the education and health care systems. (2) Social capital can significantly reduce the probability of multidimensional poverty in rural households. Among them, social network significantly and negatively affects the occurrence of multidimensional poverty in rural households, social trust in neighbors has a significant negative effect on multidimensional poverty in rural households at the 1% level, and social prestige is positively related to multidimensional poverty in rural households. (3) Age of household head, household size, and income from working outside the home are significantly associated with multidimensional poverty in rural households. This paper expands the scope of social capital theory research and provides new perspectives and empirical evidence for alleviating multidimensional poverty.

Current Conceptualization and Operationalization of Adolescents' Social Capital: A Systematic Review of Self-Reported Instruments

There is a great heterogeneity in the conceptualization and operationalization of social capital in empirical research targeting adolescents. There has not yet been an attempt to systematically map and psychometrically evaluate the existing instruments for measuring social capital that have been developed and validated for adolescent samples. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate the design and psychometric properties of self-reported instruments for social capital, specifically developed and validated for use among adolescents. The design of this study was a systematic review guided by the COSMIN methodology for systematic reviews of Patient Reported Outcome Measures. The search included six electronic databases and no time frame was applied. Twenty studies were identified as describing the development and validation of a social capital instrument for adolescent samples. The results reveal common denominators, but also great variation in the design and validation of the instruments. Adolescents were only involved in the development procedures of four instruments. There is a lack of social capital instruments that cover both the multidimensionality of social capital and contextual relevance in relation to adolescents. Careful examination of instruments should thus precede a decision when designing studies and further instrument development involving the target group is encouraged.

Associations of Social Capital with Mental Disorder Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity among U.S. Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

To examine cross-sectional associations between social capital constructs and 1) adolescent lifetime mental disorders, 2) severity of functional impairment, and 3) psychiatric comorbidity.

METHOD

Data were from the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement, a nationally representative mental health survey of 6,483 U.S. adolescents aged 13-18 years. Information from fully-structured diagnostic interviews, including adolescent and caregiver reports, was used to measure seven social capital constructs and lifetime DSM-IV mental disorders (mood, anxiety, behavior, substance use and eating disorder classes). Disorder severity was divided into severe vs. mild/moderate. Comorbidity was measured as the number of different classes of lifetime mental disorders.

RESULTS

Adjusted for socio-demographics and caregivers' mental health, the most consistent associations with adolescent mental disorder were for supportive friendships (any disorder OR = 0.95, 95%CI = 0.91-0.99), family cohesion (OR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.75-0.86), school bonding (OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.71-0.81), and extracurricular participation (OR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.86-0.95), although results differed by disorder class. Caregiver-reported neighborhood trust and reciprocity and caregiver community involvement were less consistently associated with mental disorder. Medium levels of adolescent-reported affiliation with neighbors was associated with lower odds of mood (OR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.66-0.98) and anxiety (OR = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.64-0.96) disorder, while high levels were associated with higher odds of behavior disorder (OR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.16-1.87). Several associations were stronger for severe vs. mild/moderate disorder and with increasing comorbidity.

CONCLUSION

Although we cannot infer causality, our findings support the notion that improving actual and/or perceived social capital, especially regarding friendships, family, and school, (e.g., through multimodal interventions) could aid in the prevention and treatment of both individual adolescent mental disorders and psychiatric comorbidity.

Investigating the effectiveness of psychological interventions in response to stress, anxiety, and depression in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: A systematic review

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused different kinds of psychological consequences. Identifying and providing psychological plans and protocols can be effective in promoting patients' mental health. The study was conducted to investigate the effect of psychological interventions in response to stress, anxiety, and depression in COVID-19 patients. The present study was performed based on a systematic review. The studies were done by using different combinations of keywords in databases such as Science Direct, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google scholar search engines and in Persian databases such as Magiran, SID, Iranmedex from July 25 to September 7, 2020. Out of 4533 articles that were found after extensive search, 9 articles were evaluated and qualitatively analyzed for data extraction with the 2010 consort checklist. The final articles were from different countries of China, the USA, France, Italy, and Iran and were about COVID-19 patients and their health-care providers. Interventions ranged from relaxation, music therapy to mental health and extensive psychological skills including adaptation methods, mindfulness and self-care, and crisis management. Anxiety was the highest and then stress and depression were the next indicators. The results showed a positive effect of these interventions on stress, anxiety, depression, and even the quality of life, sleep and family and child function. The number of studies in this field is increasing. We see a variety of psychological and educational interventions every day. It is hoped that by designing standard protocols for psychological intervention, effective steps can be taken to improve the mental health of patients and health-care providers.

The mental health of children and young people living in big cities in a revolving postpandemic world

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The world's population is increasingly urban, with most children and young people growing up and living in cities. Evidence suggests that urbanicity is linked to an increased risk for the development of mental health disorders. Rather than an accumulation of risk factors, urbanization is a complex process that profoundly structures living conditions. In this sense, it is timely to discuss what are the social and structural determinants of mental health of children and young people in such settings.

RECENT FINDINGS

Three domains of determinants of mental health were selected for discussion: economics and living conditions, crime and violence, and urban layouts. For each, we debated realities faced by urban children and young people, providing an overview of recent evidence on implications for mental disorders and well being. We also discuss the potential impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on each domain, as well as recommendations for future action.

SUMMARY

Structural factors are of major relevance for the mental health of children and young people living in cities. The agenda of mental health promotion and prevention must include whole-of-society interventions aimed at improving living conditions, including economic and social capital, violence prevention and urbanistic planning.

Perceived academic stress and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation analysis of overweight status

BACKGROUND

Previous research has indicated the association of perceived stress with mental health problems. In China, Confucian collectivism and an exam-centered culture encourage parents to have high educational expectations that impose great pressure on their children's learning. However, limited research has focused on adolescents' perceptions of the negative consequences of academic stress stemming from their parents' educational expectations. This study addressed this research gap by examining the direct effect of adolescents' perceptions of academic stress on their depressive symptoms and the indirect effects of both parent-child communication and interaction. We further explored the pathway differences between overweight and non-overweight adolescents.

METHODS

By using a sample (n = 6,566) from the first two waves of the China Education Panel Survey, moderated mediation analysis was performed to simultaneously analyze the mediating roles of parent-children communication and parent-children interaction and the moderating role of adolescent overweight status.

RESULTS

Adolescents' perceived academic stress (W1) was positively associated with their depressive symptoms (W2). This association was partially mediated by both parent-child communication (W1) and parent-child interaction (W1). Moreover, adolescent overweight status significantly moderated the paths between the adolescents' perceived academic stress and their depressive symptoms, between their perceived academic stress and parent-child interaction, and the indirect relationship via parent-child interaction.

LIMITATIONS

Some measurement biases including self-reported, unverified, and single-item measures, alongside not considering all variations in controlled variables should be noted.

CONCLUSION

The study's findings identify the significant roles of parent-child communication and parent-children interaction in contemporary China and indicate overweight adolescents' susceptibility to stress.

The Impact of Social Capital on Mental Health: Evidence from the China Family Panel Survey

The influence of social capital on mental health is a controversial topic. As some studies have pointed out, cognitive social capital significantly affects mental health but structural social capital does not. Using data from the China Family Panel Survey, this study measured social capital from social help, social trust, social networks, and social participation, and took regional average level of social capital as the instrumental variables, and applied a two-stage least squares regression. We found that the mental health of residents who trust and help each other is significantly higher than that of residents without trust and mutual help. When residents' efforts to maintain social networks increase, their mental health significantly improves. These results are robust. Furthermore, the impact of social capital on mental health was heterogeneous in terms of urbanicity, gender, age, and area. These results are helpful for making policies for promoting residents' mental health.

Reliability and Validity of the Chinese General Social Capital Scale and Its Effect on Physical Disease and Psychological Distress among Chinese Medical Professionals

The study was designed with two objectives. The first was to assess the factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and preliminary psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Chinese-translated General Social Capital Scale (GSCS) in a sample of Chinese medical professionals. The second was to investigate the association between general social capital, physical disease, and psychological distress using the same Chinese sample. The English version of the GSCS was translated into Chinese, and its factor structure, estimates of internal consistency reliability, and psychometric properties were examined in a representative sample of medical professionals. In particular, a total of 3367 participants in Shandong Province, China were identified using the multi-stage stratified sampling method. In addition to the GSCS, preliminary data were collected using self-report instruments that included questionnaires on physical diseases, psychological distress, and general sociodemographic information. Results include internal consistency reliability estimates at 0.933 and acceptable values of the Guttman split-half coefficients for the GSCS and its subscales. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value for the Chinese GSCS was 0.933, and the p-value of Bartlett’s test was less than 0.001. Exploratory factor analysis supported nine components of the scale with an acceptable cumulative rate (66.63%). The study further found a negative relationship between physical diseases, psychological distress, and social capital. The Chinese version of the GSCS has a satisfactory factor structure, reliability estimates, and satisfactory evidence of concurrent validity estimates for medical professionals from various demographic backgrounds. The current scale holds promise for wide use in future investigations on Chinese populations.

Resilience and the Role of Depressed and Anxious Mood in the Relationship Between Perceived Social Isolation and Perceived Sleep Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to examine the mediating role of depressed and anxious mood in the relationship between perceived social isolation and perceived sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also aimed to investigate the moderating role of psychological resilience in this mediation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of adults (18+ years old) was conducted using an online, multi-language, international survey between March 31 and May 15, 2020. Simple and moderated mediation analyses were performed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, with perceived social isolation as an independent variable, change in perceived sleep quality (during vs. before the COVID-19 pandemic) as a dependent variable, depressed and anxious mood (Patient Health Questionnaire-4, PHQ-4) as a mediator, and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale, BRS) as a moderator.

RESULTS

A convenience sample of 3816 participants (2692 = female) from 94 countries (47.4% USA) met criteria for inclusion in the analyses. Results showed that depressed and anxious mood mediated the relationship between perceived social isolation and change in perceived sleep quality. This mediation was moderated by resilience; the indirect effect of perceived social isolation on change in perceived sleep quality through depressed and anxious mood decreased as the level of resilience increased (index of moderated mediation = 0.008, SE = 0.003, 95%CI [0.001; 0.014]).

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings indicate benefits of psychological resilience in buffering negative effects of perceived isolation, suggesting potential benefits of developing targeted strategies to enhance resilience during times of significant crises.

The Analysis of Mathematics Academic Burden for Primary School Students Based on PISA Data Analysis

To explore the impact of academic burden on the physical and mental health of primary school students, combined with the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report in 2018, the relationship among the development of mathematical literacy, mathematics academic burden, and the physical and mental health of primary school students is studied. First, the relationship between mathematical literacy and mathematics anxiety is analyzed, and related influencing factors and measurement methods of mathematics anxiety are introduced. A questionnaire is then designed for primary school students' mathematical stress, and the reliability and validity of the designed questionnaire are tested. Finally, a questionnaire survey is conducted on students, parents, and teachers in the third, fourth, and fifth grades of three standardized public primary schools. The results of the questionnaire survey show that students, teachers, and parents have a general understanding of the mathematics academic burden of primary school students at this stage. A total of 70% of teachers believe that primary school students have a heavy mathematics burden; 50% of parents think that primary school students are under heavy academic stress; 70% of primary school students believe that the heavy mathematics burden leads to reduced sleep time and extracurricular activities, which has a serious impact on the physical and mental health of primary school students. This research provides a reference for improving the current balance between education and students' physical and mental health in China.

Social Capital and Sleep Quality in Individuals Who Self-Isolated for 14 Days During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in January 2020 in China

Background

From the end of December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began to spread in central China. Social capital is a measure of social trust, belonging, and participation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of social capital on sleep quality and the mechanisms involved in people who self-isolated at home for 14 days in January 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic in central China.

Methods

Individuals (n=170) who self-isolated at home for 14 days in central China, completed self-reported questionnaires on the third day of isolation. Individual social capital was assessed using the Personal Social Capital Scale 16 (PSCI-16) questionnaire. Anxiety was assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) questionnaire, stress was assessed using the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction (SASR) questionnaire, and sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. Path analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between a dependent variable (social capital) and two or more independent variables, using Pearson’s correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results

Low levels of social capital were associated with increased levels of anxiety and stress, but increased levels of social capital were positively associated with increased quality of sleep. Anxiety was associated with stress and reduced sleep quality, and the combination of anxiety and stress reduced the positive effects of social capital on sleep quality.

Conclusion

During a period of individual self-isolation during the COVID-19 virus epidemic in central China, increased social capital improved sleep quality by reducing anxiety and stress.

Into the realm of social capital for adolescents: A latent profile analysis

Background

Recent reports of increasing prevalence of frequent health complaints and mental health problems among adolescents call for directing more attention on determinants of adolescent health. The relationship between health and social capital has gained increased attention since the early 2000’s and research at review level confirms the importance of social capital for health outcomes, despite methodological heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to identify distinct profiles of family, school and peer social capital in a nationally representative sample of adolescents and to explore health outcomes in those profiles.

Method

Cross-sectional data from the Swedish Health Behaviour of School-aged Children 2013/14 was used for this study. The analytical sample consisted of 7,804 adolescents aged 11-, 13- and 15-years. Items representing sense of belonging and emotional support were assessed in three contexts; family, school and among peers. Latent profile analyses (LPA) were run to determine social capital profiles. Health outcomes included frequent health complaints and life satisfaction, while socioeconomic status and genders were included as predictors.

Results

The results show that five distinct profiles best represent the data for 11- and 15-year olds, while a four-profile model was optimal for 13-year olds. Some profiles were recurrent between age groups but unique profiles were also found. Health outcomes were significantly different between profiles depending on levels of social capital in the different contexts.

Conclusions

This study provides novel insight into how social capital co-occurs among adolescents within the contexts of family, school and peers and how this translates into differences in health outcomes. The national representativeness of the sample increases the implications of the results and contributes to meaningful insights that help explain the interactions of social capital in multiple contexts, complementing what is previously known about the relationship with adolescent health.

The longitudinal associations among grandparent-grandchild cohesion, cultural beliefs about adversity, and depression in Chinese rural left-behind children

This study examined the effects of grandparent-grandchild cohesion on the cross-lagged associations between depression and cultural beliefs about adversity in a sample of 625 rural left-behind children in China. Grandparent-grandchild cohesion was concurrently and longitudinally associated with children's depression and cultural beliefs about adversity. Cultural beliefs about adversity mediated the associations between grandparent-grandchild cohesion and children's depression, while depression mediated the associations between grandparent-grandchild cohesion and children's beliefs about adversity. Left-behind status differences were also found in mediation models. These findings suggest the important role of grandparent-grandchild cohesion in left-behind children's adjustment.