Association of Structural Social Capital and Self-Reported Well-Being among Japanese Community-Dwelling Adults: A Longitudinal Study

Kazuya Nogi, Haruhiko Imamura, Keiko Asakura and Yuji Nishiwaki
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Kazuya Nogi: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Toho University Graduate School of Medicine, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan
Haruhiko Imamura: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Medicine, Toho University, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan
Keiko Asakura: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Medicine, Toho University, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan
Yuji Nishiwaki: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Medicine, Toho University, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-14

Abstract: Previous studies have shown both positive and non-positive associations between social capital and health. However, longitudinal evidence examining its comprehensive effects on well-being is still limited. This study examined whether structural social capital in the local community was related to the later well-being of Japanese people aged 40 or above. A 4-year longitudinal study was conducted in a rural Japanese town. “Well-being” was measured using three indicators (happiness, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms), and those who were high in well-being in the baseline 2015 survey and responded to the follow-up 2019 survey were analyzed ( n = 1032 for happiness, 938 for self-rated health, and 471 for depressive symptoms). Multilevel Poisson regression analysis adjusted for covariates showed that having contact with fewer neighbors was associated with a decline in happiness at both the community level (adjusted relative risk = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.20–1.63) and the individual level (adjusted relative risk = 1.51, 95% confidence interval = 1.05–2.17), but participation in local community activities was not. The results suggest that dense personal networks might be more important in areas with thriving local community activities, not only for individuals but also for all community members.

Keywords: social capital; local community activities; neighborhood relationships; well-being; happiness; self-rated health; depressive symptoms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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