The bright side and dark side of workplace social capital: opposing effects of gender on overweight among Japanese employees

The Relationships between Social Capital, Metabolic, and Behavioral Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases: A Systematic Review

Background

Contextual risk factors such as social capital have a vital role in affecting behavioral and biological risk factors of NCDs. We aimed to systematically identify the relationship between different aspects of social capital (SC) with metabolic, and behavioral risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Methods

This is a systematic review. The period of study was 2000-2021. We searched the English international databases, i.e. PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies that reported NCDs' metabolic and behavioral risk factors as independent variables, were excluded. We also included studies if they analyzed the association between SC and metabolic and behavioral risk factors of NCDs.

Results

After the primary and quality appraisal process, 97 studies were entered in the final phase of the analysis. Five out of 18 studies reported an inverse association between SC and the level of alcohol drinking. Twenty-seven out of 32 studies reported a significant inverse association between SC and smoking and tobacco use, while only one study reported a significant positive association. Nine studies reported a significant inverse association between SC and high blood pressure. Three studies showed a significant inverse association between SC and diabetes. Seventeen studies indicated a significant positive association between SC and physical activity. Thirteen out of 17 studies reported a significant inverse association between SC, body mass index (BMI) and overweight.

Conclusion

High SC, people's participation and interaction are vital in tackling NCDs. Evidence shows positive effects of SC on prevention, control and improvement of NCDs' metabolic and behavioral risk factors.

Quality of supervisor behaviour, workplace social capital and psychological well-being

Background

Employees with a higher level of workplace social capital (i.e. relationships, trust and reciprocity at work) have a lower risk of mental health problems. Supervisor behaviour may be a predictor of workplace social capital.

Aims

To examine the associations between supervisor behaviour, workplace social capital and psychological well-being.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of the sixth European Working Conditions Survey. The study sample included 28 900 employees in 35 European countries with an immediate line manager. Depression was assessed with the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Supervisor behaviour quality and workplace social capital were each measured with a 6-item question. Association between quality of supervisor behaviour and workplace social capital was analysed using a hierarchical linear modelling. A mediation analysis was conducted by using hierarchical logistic models of depression with and without workplace social capital index.

Results

A higher supervisor behaviour quality index was associated with an increased workplace social capital index (β, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51–0.59). A higher workplace social capital index was associated with lower odds of depression (odds ratio [OR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.87–0.90). A higher supervisor behaviour quality index was associated with lower odds of depression (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.89–0.92); 58% of the effect was mediated by workplace social capital.

Conclusions

Our findings support the hypothesis that better supervisor behaviour quality increases workplace social capital and contributes to psychological well-being of employees. This may be useful for planning organizational interventions to enhance mental health of workers.

Relationship between workplace social capital and suicidal ideation in the past year among employees in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Background

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated the associations between social capital and health. In residential or geographical areas, social capital has attracted attention for its protective effects against suicide. However, to this date, the relationship between social capital and suicidal ideation is not fully elaborated in the occupational setting. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the association between workplace social capital and suicidal ideation in the past year among employees in Japan.

Methods

A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted in February/March 2017 via an anonymous self-administered questionnaire distributed to workers in Tsukuba Science City, Japan. Binomial logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for suicidal ideation in the past year, controlling for age group, marital status, educational attainment, and annual household income. The results were shown stratified by sex and occupation.

Results

In total, 7255 of 19,481 workers responded, out of which we could analyze 6325 responses (4030 men, 2295 women). The prevalence of suicidal ideation in the past year was 5.9% for men and 7.8% for women. Low workplace social capital was statistically significantly associated with suicidal ideation both for men (OR = 2.57, 95% CI = 1.72–3.83) and for women (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.15–2.66), compared with high workplace social capital after controlling for socioeconomic factors.

Conclusion

Higher workplace social capital was associated with a reduced risk of suicidal ideation in the past year. Promoting workplace social capital could contribute to preventing suicide among employees in Japan.

Social capital and physical health: An updated review of the literature for 2007-2018

PURPOSE

Social capital is frequently indicated as a determinant of population health. Despite an increase in the frequency of public health studies including such measures, our understanding of social capital's effects on health remains unclear. In 2008, a systematic review of the "first decade" of research on social capital and health was published in the textbook Social Capital and Health. Our study intends to update and expand upon this original review to account for developments in the literature over the second decade of research on social capital and health.

METHODS

We employed a systematic review of empirical studies investigating the relationship between measures of social capital and physical health outcomes published between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2018. To identify potential studies, we conducted searches of PubMed, Embase, and PsychINFO databases in January 2019 using combinations of "social capital" and "physical health" search terms.

RESULTS

We identified 1,608 unique articles and reviewed 145 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. The most frequently examined health condition was self-reported health (57%), followed by mortality (12%), cardiovascular diseases (10%), obesity (7%), diabetes (6%), infectious diseases (5%), and cancers (3%). Of these studies, 127 (88%) reported at least partial support for a protective association between social capital and health. However, only 41 (28%) reported exclusively positive findings. The majority (59%) of results were mixed, suggesting a nuanced relationship between social capital and health. This finding could also be indicative of differences in study design, which showed substantial variation.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite limitations in the literature, our review chronicles an evolution in the field of social capital and health in terms of size and sophistication. Overall, these studies suggest that social capital may be an important protective factor for some physical health outcomes, but further research is needed to confirm and clarify these findings.

Neighbourhood social capital and obesity: a systematic review of the literature

Social capital, defined as the resources accessed by individuals and groups through social connections, has been posited to be a social determinant of obesity. However, empirical evidence for this association has been inconsistent - namely, some studies have found a protective association while others have reported no correlation. We sought to conduct a systematic review on the relation between neighbourhood social capital and obesity, considering potential differences on the results based on the measures used and the covariates and mediators included in the studies. PRISMA statement guidelines were followed. Our results indicate that an association between neighbourhood social capital and obesity exists, but that it depends on the measures and covariates used in the study design. Understanding the role of social capital in the development and/or maintenance of obesity will require the use of strong methodological designs and a thorough conceptualization of how this relationship may arise.

Association of workplace social capital with psychological distress: results from a longitudinal multilevel analysis of the J-HOPE Study

OBJECTIVES

Workplace social capital (WSC) is increasingly recognised as a social contextual determinant of workers' mental health, but longitudinal data are sparse. We aimed to evaluate the impact of changes in unit-level WSC on psychological distress among Japanese employees using a prospective multilevel repeated-measures design.

PARTICIPANTS AND STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a 2-year prospective cohort study with 1,944 men and 786 women aged 18-65 years. Participants worked at two manufacturing worksites in Japan and were free from mental illness from the first to third study waves. We used a three-level multilevel regression design to evaluate the prospective association of unit-level WSC with individual-level psychological distress. WSC was measured using a validated six-item instrument and individual-level psychological distress with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6).

RESULTS

The null model indicated a significant degree of between-work unit variation in psychological distress (intraclass correlation=0.1%, p<0.001). In the full model, each SD increase in unit-level WSC was associated with 0.69 point improvement in K6 scores (95% CI -1.12 to -0.26).

CONCLUSIONS

This prospective study builds on existing knowledge by showing an association between unit-level WSC and modest improvements in mental health among employees in Japan. We recommend that WSC is considered alongside other contextual influences when assessing employees' mental health risks.

Investigation into the metric properties of the workplace social capital questionnaire and its association with self-rated health and psychological distress amongst Greek-Cypriot registered nurses: cross-sectional descriptive study

Background

Social capital can been described as an individual or a collective attribute, with structural and cognitive components, and a bonding, bridging and linking typology. While extensively studied in the community, studies in occupational settings are sparse by comparison. Furthermore, there is no uniformity in its measurement. This study investigated the construct validity of a Workplace Social Capital questionnaire (WSC), originally developed in the Finnish Public Sector occupational cohort, in a different socio-cultural setting (Cyprus), language (Greek) and occupational group (Registered Nurses). It also explored its criterion concurrent validity according to observed association with self-rated health and psychological distress.

Methods

Participants were 10% of all registered nurses (N = 362) who responded to the 8-item WSC scale during a nationwide educational programme. A unidimensional model was compared with the postulated two-factor (structural vs cognitive) and three-factor model (bonding, bridging, linking) in Confirmatory Factor Analyses. The association with self-rated health (0–100 Visual Analogue Scale) and mental distress (GHQ-12 ≥ 4) was assessed in linear and logistic regression models.

Results

A bonding (Cronbach’s a = 0.76), bridging (a = 0.78) and linking (a = 0.89) structure explained 77.6% of the variance and was a better fit as indicated by goodness of fit indices. Elevated odds of mental distress and poorer self-rated health were observed among participants with the lowest levels of perceived workplace social capital. In adjusted models, associations appeared stronger with bonding social capital (adjOR of mental distress = 2.71 95% CI = 1.08, 6.79) while those with the highest scores rated their health higher by 8.0 points on average (95% CI = 2.1, 13.8). Low linking social capital was also associated with poorer health but no consistent associations were observed with bridging.

Conclusion

While associations appeared stronger with bonding and linking, this may reflect a weakness of the measure to fully capture bridging social capital. Even though, this aspect might need strengthening, the WSC showed good metric properties in a different setting, language and occupational group. Cross-national and cognitive validation studies are needed.

Neighborhood social capital and sleep duration: a population based cross-sectional study in a rural Japanese town

Background

Studies on social capital and health outcomes have become common, but the relationship between neighborhood social capital and sleep duration by gender is still unclear. We examined the relationship between neighborhood social capital and sleep duration by gender in adults living in a rural community in Japan.

Method

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 12,321 residents aged ≥20 years in a town in Mie Prefecture in January–March 2013. Self-completed questionnaires were collected from the residents (n = 7782; valid participation rate, 63.2%). We used five items to assess the neighborhood social capital (Cronbach’s α = 0.86). We summed up the scores of each item, and then divided the participants into four groups by quartile of total scores of neighborhood social capital (lowest, low, high, and highest). Sleep duration of < 7 h/day was defined as insufficient sleep duration according to previous studies. To adjust for potential confounders, we performed a multiple log-binominal regression analysis and estimated the prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for insufficient sleep.

Results

Overall 42% of the men and 45% of the women had insufficient sleep. In the men, the lowest group of neighborhood social capital presented a 22% higher prevalence of insufficient sleep (PR 1.22; 95% CIs 1.08–1.38) compared to the highest group of neighborhood social capital. Similarly the low group of neighborhood social capital and the high group of neighborhood social capital had 20 and 19% higher prevalence of insufficient sleep (PR 1.20; 95% CIs 1.06–1.36; PR 1.19; 95% CIs 1.06–1.34, respectively) compared to the highest group of neighborhood social capital. For women there was no significant association between neighborhood social capital and insufficient sleep after controlling for all potential confounders.

Conclusion

Having lower neighborhood social capital was associated with insufficient sleep among Japanese adults, particularly in the men. This suggests that the context of neighborhood social capital by gender should be considered to promote healthier behaviors with regard to getting enough sleep.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5204-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A qualitative study on the attributes of nurses' workplace social capital in Japan

AIM

To identify attributes of nurses' workplace social capital in Japan.

BACKGROUND

Much attention has been paid to nurses' workplace social capital to improve the quality of the work environment; however, few studies are available on the attributes of nurses' workplace social capital.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 nurses at seven hospitals. Nurses reported on the attributes of workplace social capital, such as characteristics facilitating individual positive action in an organisation, which were qualitatively analysed using the Kawakita Jiro method.

RESULTS

The attributes of nurses' workplace social capital were organised into six groups: affirmation; exchange of appreciation; unrestricted information sharing; ability to trust; access to the strength; and altruistic reciprocity.

CONCLUSION

The attributes of nurses' workplace social capital included a social structure that allowed nurses to make full use of their abilities both vertically and horizontally and were supported by a sense of security. In particular, newly emerged exchange of appreciation and altruistic reciprocity were important for nurses in Japan in building cooperative relationships with others.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Managing human relationships, such as exchange of appreciation and altruistic reciprocity, in clinical settings based on nurses' workplace social capital may promote positive emotions in the organisation, positive ideas among staff and cooperative teamwork, which may lead to high-quality patient care.

Psychometric assessment of a scale to measure bonding workplace social capital

OBJECTIVES

Workplace social capital (WSC) has attracted increasing attention as an organizational and psychosocial factor related to worker health. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a newly developed WSC scale for use in work environments, where bonding social capital is important.

METHODS

We assessed the psychometric properties of a newly developed 6-item scale to measure bonding WSC using two data sources. Participants were 1,650 randomly selected workers who completed an online survey. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted. We examined the item-item and item-total correlations, internal consistency, and associations between scale scores and a previous 8-item measure of WSC. We evaluated test-retest reliability by repeating the survey with 900 of the respondents 2 weeks later. The overall scale reliability was quantified by an intraclass coefficient and the standard error of measurement. We evaluated convergent validity by examining the association with several relevant workplace psychosocial factors using a dataset from workers employed by an electrical components company (n = 2,975).

RESULTS

The scale was unidimensional. The item-item and item-total correlations ranged from 0.52 to 0.78 (p < 0.01) and from 0.79 to 0.89 (p < 0.01), respectively. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α coefficient: 0.93). The correlation with the 8-item scale indicated high criterion validity (r = 0.81) and the scale showed high test-retest reliability (r = 0.74, p < 0.01). The intraclass coefficient and standard error of measurement were 0.74 (95% confidence intervals: 0.71-0.77) and 4.04 (95% confidence intervals: 1.86-6.20), respectively. Correlations with relevant workplace psychosocial factors showed convergent validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The results confirmed that the newly developed WSC scale has adequate psychometric properties.

Positive and negative associations of individual social capital factors with health among community-dwelling older people

AIM

Previous literature has found positive correlations between social capital and health in older adults, fewer studies have investigated the subdimension's effects of social capital on health. We aimed to determine the individual social capital subfactors in community-dwelling older adults in Japan, and to analyze the associations of these factors with physical and mental health.

METHOD

We sent a self-administered questionnaire assessing their perception of social group activity as the individual social capital, and mental and physical health (measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36) to 4320 randomly selected older people.

RESULTS

There were 1836 valid responses. We clarified that people who participated in any social activity group were in significantly better physical and mental health compared with the people who did not. By the factor analysis of the perception for the social group activity, we identified three components of the individual social capital aspect that we termed harmonious, hierarchic and diversity. Using multiple linear regression, we found the hierarchic aspect was significantly negatively associated with mental health, whereas the harmonious aspect was significantly positively associated with mental and physical health, and diversity was significantly positively associated with mental health.

CONCLUSION

As the previous research literature on social capital has mainly emphasized its positive health consequences, the present findings provide a novel demonstration that some aspects of individual social capital can have negative associations with health outcomes in community-dwelling older people. For the practical application of promoting a healthier society, it is important to consider both the positive and negative sides of social capital. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2427-2434.

Workplace social capital, mental health and health behaviors among Brazilian female workers

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have investigated the relationship between workplace social capital and mental health, yet few have sought to examine the mediating mechanisms. We sought to explore the role of workplace social capital on health related behaviors and on mental health among female employees in Brazil.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was undertaken with 553 women aged 28-50 years working in the production line of a poultry processing plant. We assessed workplace social capital, common mental disorders, stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and health related behaviors (physical activity, healthy eating habits and co-occurrence of risk behaviors). We used structural equation modeling to clarify relationships between exposures, outcomes, and mediating variables.

RESULTS

Our model demonstrated a direct effect of social capital on the outcomes studied. Higher workplace social capital was associated with lower stress and common mental disorders as well as more favorable health-related behaviors. Our model also showed an indirect effect of social capital on mental health and on behaviors that was mediated by lower levels of perceived stress.

CONCLUSION

Workplace social cohesion may play an important role in the promotion of mental health and healthy behaviors among women employees.

Change in psychological distress following change in workplace social capital: results from the panel surveys of the J-HOPE study

PURPOSE

Research on the longitudinal association of workplace social capital and mental health is limited. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prospective association of social capital in the workplace with mental distress, measured by K6, adjusting for individuals factors as well as workplace-related factors among employees in Japan.

METHODS

The participants included 6387 men and 1825 women from 12 private companies in Japan. Questionnaires, inquiring about workplace social capital, K6, job strain and effort-reward imbalance were administered at the baseline survey between October 2010 and December 2011 (response rate=77.4%). At 1-year follow-up, social capital and K6 were assessed again (follow-up rate=79.5%), and a generalised linear model was used to estimate the association between changes in workplace social capital and change in K6.

RESULTS

After adjusting for baseline demographic characteristics and workplace-related factors (Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERIQ)), increased workplace social capital between waves was associated with improved psychological distress (β=-0.2327, p<0.0001). An inverse association was found in both men and women, all age groups, and among employees with high or low baseline mental health. The association was stronger among those who reported higher stress at baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

Boosting workplace social capital may promote mental health in the workplace.

Individual social capital and survival: a population study with 5-year follow-up

Background

The concept of social capital has received increasing attention as a determinant of population survival, but its significance is uncertain. We examined the importance of social capital on survival in a population study while focusing on gender differences.

Methods

We used data from a Danish regional health survey with a five-year follow-up period, 2007–2012 (n = 9288, 53.5% men, 46.5% women). We investigated the association between social capital and all-cause mortality, performing separate analyses on a composite measure as well as four specific dimensions of social capital while controlling for covariates. Analyses were performed with Cox proportional hazard models by which hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

Results

For women, higher levels of social capital were associated with lower all-cause mortality regardless of age, socioeconomic status, health, and health behaviour (HR = 0.586, 95% CI = 0.421-0.816) while no such association was found for men (HR = 0.949, 95% CI = 0.816-1.104). Analysing the specific dimensions of social capital, higher levels of trust and social network were significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality in women (HR = 0.827, 95% CI = 0.750-0.913 and HR = 0.832, 95% CI = 0.729-0.949, respectively). For men, strong social networks were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.132, 95% CI = 1.017-1.260). Civic engagement had a similar effect for both men (HR = 0.848, 95% CI = 0.722-0.997) and women (HR = 0.848, 95% CI = 0.630-1.140).

Conclusions

We found differential effects of social capital in men compared to women. The predictive effects on all-cause mortality of four specific dimensions of social capital varied. Gender stratified analysis and the use of multiple indicators to measure social capital are thus warranted in future research.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-1025) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.