Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T11:07:01.785Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social Capital and Mental Health in Post-Disaster/Conflict Contexts: A Systematic Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2018

Pia Noel Open the ORCID record for Pia Noel [Opens in a new window] ,
Cliodhna Cork  and
Ross G. White
Pia Noel*
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science, Center of Social Anthropology Edinburgh, UK
Cliodhna Cork
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Institute of Health and Well-being Glasgow, UK
Ross G. White
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Pia Noel, MSc, University of Edinburgh, c/o Dr. Sumeet Jain, 2.30 Chrystal MacMillan Building, 15a George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LD, UK (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Social capital (SC) is highlighted as an important factor for post-crisis mental health outcomes. However, the heterogeneous nature of the construct makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the evidence concerning the association between SC indices and mental health. This review examines how SC is conceptualized and measured, and the relationships with other variables in quantitative empirical studies investigating the associations between SC and mental health in post-disaster and post-conflict contexts. It includes primary data studies focusing on this association in civilian populations. Studies were identified by searching electronic databases, bibliographic mining, cited reference searching, and personal contact with experts. In total, 15 studies were included: 12 in post-natural disaster contexts and 3 in conflict-affected settings. Findings suggested that individual cognitive SC had an inverse association with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, and that ecological cognitive SC was positively associated with mental well-being. Individual structural SC (in the form of community networks) may be psychologically protective. However, most of the evidence was cross-sectional, limiting conclusions about causal relationships. More clarity and consistency is needed in the conceptualization and measurement of SC in order to inform post-crisis mental health interventions. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:791-802)

Keywords

social capitalmental healthpost-disasterpost-conflictreview
Type
Systematic Review
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 12 , Issue 6 , December 2018 , pp. 791 - 802
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. IASC (Inter-Agency Standing Committee). IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. Geneva: IASC; 2007.Google Scholar
2. Putnam, RD. Bowling alone: Americas’s declining social capital. J Democr. 1995;6:65-78. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.1995.0002.Google Scholar
3. Henderson, S, Whiteford, H. Social capital and mental health. Lancet (London, England). 2003;362(9383):505-506. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14150-5.Google Scholar
4. Rose, R. How much does social capital add to individual health? Soc Sci Med. 2000;51(9):1421-1435. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00106-4.Google Scholar
5. Kirkbride, JB, Boydell, J, Ploubidis, GB, et al. Testing the association between the incidence of schizophrenia and social capital in an urban area. Psychol Med. 2008;38(8):1083-1094. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291707002085.Google Scholar
6. Weitzman, ER, Kawachi, I. Giving means receiving: the protective effect of social capital on binge drinking on college campuses. Am J Public Health. 2000;90(12):1936-1939. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.12.1936.Google Scholar
7. McCulloch, A. Social environments and health: cross sectional national survey. BMJ. 2001;323(7306):208-209. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7306.208.Google Scholar
8. Almedom, AM. Social capital and mental health: an interdisciplinary review of primary evidence. Soc Sci Med. 2005;61(5):943-964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.12.025.Google Scholar
9. Uphoff, N, Wijayaratna, CM. Demonstrated benefits from social capital: the productivity of farmer organizations in Gal Oya, Sri Lanka. World Dev. 2000;28(11):1875-1890. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(00)00063-2.Google Scholar
10. Putnam, RD. Making Democracy Work. Civil Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 1993. https://doi.org/10.2307/2620793.Google Scholar
11. Szreter, S, Woolcock, M. Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health. Int J Epidemiol. 2004;33(4):650-667. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyh013.Google Scholar
12. Aldrich, DP. Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 2012.Google Scholar
13. De Silva, MJ, Harpham, T, Tuan, T, Bartolini, R, Penny, ME, Huttly, SR. Psychometric and cognitive validation of a social capital measurement tool in Peru and Vietnam. Soc Sci Med. 2006;62(4):941-953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.06.050.Google Scholar
14. De Silva, MJ. Social capital and mental illness: a systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Heal. 2005;59:619-627. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2004.029678.Google Scholar
15. Hamano, T, Fujisawa, Y, Ishida, Y, Subramanian, SV, Kawachi, I, Shiwaku, K. Social capital and mental health in Japan: a multilevel analysis. PLoS One. 2010;5(10):e13214. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013214.Google Scholar
16. De Silva, MJ, Huttly, SR, Harpham, T, Kenward, MG. Social capital and mental health: a comparative analysis of four low income countries. Soc Sci Med. 2007;64(1):5-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.08.044.Google Scholar
17. Ehsan, AM, De Silva, MJ. Social capital and common mental disorder: a systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2015;69(10):1021-1028. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2015-205868.Google Scholar
18. Whitley, R, McKenzie, K. Social capital and psychiatry: review of the literature. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2005;13(2):71-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/10673220590956474.Google Scholar
19. Mitchell, CU, LaGory, M. Social capital and mental distress in an impoverished community. City Community. 2002;1(2):199-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6040.00017.Google Scholar
20. Scholte, WF, Ager, AK. Social capital and mental health: connections and complexities in contexts of post conflict recovery. Interv J Ment Heal Psychosoc Support Confl Affect Areas. 2014;12(2):210-218. https://doi.org/10.1097/WTF.0000000000000038.Google Scholar
21. World Health Organization. Disasters & Emergencies: Definitions (Training Package). Addis Ababa: Panafrican Emergency Training Centre, WHO/EHA; 2002.Google Scholar
22. CRED (Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters). The Human Cost of Natural Disasters: A Global Perspective. Brussels: CRED; 2015.Google Scholar
23. Armed Conflict Database. https://acd.iiss.org/. Accessed May 2016.Google Scholar
24. Gordon, R. The social system as site of disaster impact and resource for recovery. Aust J Emerg Manag. 2004;19(4):16-22.Google Scholar
25. Kleinman, A, Das, V, Lock, M. Social Suffering. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1997.Google Scholar
26. Neria, Y, Nandi, A, Galea, S. Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: a systematic review. Psychol Med. 2008;38(4):467-480. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291707001353.Google Scholar
27. Murthy, RS, Lakshminarayana, R. Mental health consequences of war: a brief review of research findings. World Psychiatry. 2006;5(1):25-30.Google Scholar
28. Kar, N, Bastia, BK. Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and generalised anxiety disorder in adolescents after a natural disaster: a study of comorbidity. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2006;2:17. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-0179-2-17.Google Scholar
29. Milligan, G, McGuinness, T. Mental health needs in a post-disaster environment. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Heal Serv. 2009;47(9):23-30. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20090731-01.Google Scholar
30. Miller, KE, Rasmussen, A. War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks. Soc Sci Med. 2010;70(1):7-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.09.029.Google Scholar
31. Jansen, S, White, R, Hogwood, J, et al. The “treatment gap” in global mental health reconsidered: sociotherapy for collective trauma in Rwanda. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v6.28706.Google Scholar
32. Nakagawa, Y, Shaw, R. Social capital: a missing link to disaster recovery. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2004;22(1):5-34. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004.Google Scholar
33. Moher, D, Liberati, A, Tetzlaff, J, Altman, DG. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. Int J Surg. 2010;8(5):336-341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2010.02.007.Google Scholar
34. PROSPERO. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/. Accessed February 2016.Google Scholar
35. NHLBI, NIH. Quality Assessment Tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-pro/guidelines/in-develop/cardiovascular-risk-reduction/tools/cohort. Accessed February 2016.Google Scholar
36. McDermott, BM, Berry, H, Cobham, VE. Social connectedness: a potential aetiological factor in the development of child post-traumatic stress disorder. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2012;46(2):109-117. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867411433950.Google Scholar
37. Hikichi, H, Aida, J, Tsuboya, T, Kondo, K, Kawachi, I. Can community social cohesion prevent posttraumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of a disaster? A natural experiment from the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. Am J Epidemiol. 2016;183(10):902-910. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwv335.Google Scholar
38. Matsubara, C, Murakami, H, Imai, K, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for depressive reaction among resident survivors after the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake, March 11, 2011. PLoS One. 2014;9(10):e109240. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109240.Google Scholar
39. Nakamura, K, Kitamura, K, Someya, T. Psychological recovery 5 years after the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake in Yamakoshi, Japan. J Epidemiol. 2014;24(2):125-131. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20130097.Google Scholar
40. Oyama, M, Nakamura, K, Suda, Y, Someya, T. Social network disruption as a major factor associated with psychological distress 3 years after the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake in Japan. Environ Health Prev Med. 2012;17(2):118-123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-011-0225-y.Google Scholar
41. Yokoyama, Y, Otsuka, K, Kawakami, N, et al. Mental health and related factors after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. PLoS One. 2014;9(7): e102497. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102497.Google Scholar
42. Chou, FHC, Chou, P, Su, TTP, et al. Quality of life and related risk factors in a Taiwanese Village population 21 months after an earthquake. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2004;38(5):358-364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1614.2004.01364.x.Google Scholar
43. Flores, EC, Carnero, AM, Bayer, AM. Social capital and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder among survivors of the 2007 earthquake in Pisco, Peru. Soc Sci Med. 2014;101:9-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.11.012.Google Scholar
44. Lowe, SR, Joshi, S, Pietrzak, RH, Galea, S, Cerdá, M. Mental health and general wellness in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Soc Sci Med. 2015;124:162-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.11.032.Google Scholar
45. Wind, TR, Fordham, M, Komproe, IH. Social capital and post-disaster mental health. Glob Health Action. 2011;4. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v4i0.6351.Google Scholar
46. Wind, TR, Komproe, IH. The mechanisms that associate community social capital with post-disaster mental health: a multilevel model. Soc Sci Med. 2012;75(9):1715-1720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.06.032.Google Scholar
47. Ali, M, Farooq, N, Bhatti, MA, Kuroiwa, C. Assessment of prevalence and determinants of posttraumatic stress disorder in survivors of earthquake in Pakistan using Davidson trauma scale. J Affect Disord. 2012;136(3):238-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.12.023.Google Scholar
48. Beiser, M, Wiwa, O, Adebajo, S. Human-initiated disaster, social disorganization and post-traumatic stress disorder above Nigeria’s oil basins. Soc Sci Med. 2010;71(2):221-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.03.039.Google Scholar
49. Kunovich, RM, Hodson, R. Civil war, social integration and mental health in Croatia. J Health Soc Behav. 1999;40(4):323-343. https://doi.org/10.2307/2676329.Google Scholar
50. Nakayama, R, Koyanagi, A, Stickley, A, et al. Social networks and mental health in post-conflict Mitrovica, Kosova. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1):1169. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-1169.Google Scholar
51. Kessler, RC, Andrews, G, Colpe, LJ, et al. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002;32(6):959-976.Google Scholar
52. Blanchard, EB, Jones-Alexander, J, Buckley, TC, Forneris, CA. Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behav Res Ther. 1996;34(8):669-673.Google Scholar
53. Kroenke, K, Spitzer, RL. The PHQ-9: a new depression diagnostic and severity measure. Psychiatr Ann. 2002;32(9):509-515.Google Scholar
54. Inagaki, M, Ohtsuki, T, Yonemoto, N, et al. Validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and PHQ-2 in general internal medicine primary care at a Japanese rural hospital: a cross-sectional study. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2013;35(6):592-597.Google Scholar
55. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.Google Scholar
56. World Health Organization. Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Geneva: WHO; 1997.Google Scholar
57. Zigmond, AS, Snaith, RP. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1983;67(6):361-370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb09716.x.Google Scholar
58. McKenzie, K, Whitley, R, Weich, S. Social capital and mental health. Br J Psychiatry. 2002;181(4):280-283. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.181.4.280.Google Scholar
59. Miller, KE, Rasmussen, A. War experiences, daily stressors and mental health five years on: elaborations and future directions. Intervention. 2014;12(1):33-42. https://doi.org/10.1097/WTF.0000000000000066.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Noel et al. supplementary material 1

Appendix

Download Noel et al. supplementary material 1(File)
File 927.6 KB