Social Capital and Depressive Episodes: Gender Differences in the ELSA-Brasil Cohort

Introduction: The association between social capital and depression is a frequent research topic in developed countries, often with inconclusive results. Furthermore, for both social capital and depression, there are gender differences established in the literature. This study investigates gender differences in the association of social capital with the incidence and maintenance of depressive episodes.

Methods: Baseline and second wave data (4 years of follow-up) from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), a multicenter cohort of civil servants with 15,105 workers aged 35–74 years, were used. Social capital was assessed using the Resource Generator, a scale composed of two different dimensions: “social support” and “prestige and education.” Depressive episodes were assessed using the Clinical Interview Schedule - Revised (CIS-R). The statistical analysis was performed using multinomial regression with adjustments for possible confounding factors.

Results: Among men, low social capital in the “social support” dimension was associated with the incidence of depressive episodes (RR = 1.66; 95% CI: 1.01–2.72). Among women, social support was associated with the maintenance of depressive episodes (RR = 2.66; 95% CI: 1.61–4.41). Social capital was not associated with the incidence or maintenance of depressive episodes in the “prestige and education” dimension in both genders.

Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of the dimension “social support” in both genders in its association with mental health. The resource-based social capital approach proved to be adequate for investigating mental health and confirms the idea that social networks can be useful in the treatment and prevention of depressive episodes.

Social capital and psychological distress during Colombian coronavirus disease lockdown

This study aimed to establish the association of low social capital (SC) with psychological distress indicators. A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online questionnaire that evaluated demographic variables, social capital, perceived stress related to coronavirus disease, depression risk, insomnia risk, and suicide risk. SC was taken as an independent variable, and symptoms indicating psychological distress were considered as dependent variables. A group of 700 adults aged between 18 and 76 years (M = 37, SD = 13) participated in the survey. Low SC was associated with depression risk (odds ratio [OR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34-2.97), elevated suicide risk (OR = 2.62, 95% CI = 1.40-4.91) high perceived stress related to coronavirus disease (OR = 2.08 95% CI, 1.15-3.76), and insomnia risk (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.69-3.47). In conclusion, low CS was associated with indicators of psychological distress. SC is a community social resource that could help mitigate the quarantine impact of coronavirus disease amidst the Colombian population's psychological health.