Editing Social capital (section)

== Effects on health ==
A growing body of research has found that the presence of social capital through social networks and communities has a protective quality on health. Social capital affects health risk behavior in the sense that individuals who are embedded in a network or community rich in support, social trust, information, and norms, have resources that help achieve health goals.<ref name="Lin 2001">Lin, N. "Building a network theory of social capital." pp. 3–29 in ''Social capital: Theory and Research'', edited by N. Lin, K. Cook, & R .S. Burt. New York: [[Aldine de Gruyter]].</ref> For example, a person who is sick with cancer may receive the information, money, or moral support needed to endure treatment and recover. Social capital also encourages social trust and membership. These factors can discourage individuals from engaging in risky health behaviors such as smoking and binge drinking.<ref name="Bolin 2003">Bolin, K., B. Lindgren, M. Lindstrom, and P. Nystedt. 2003. ''Investments in social capital implications of social interactions for the production of health.''</ref>

Furthermore, neighbourhood social capital may also aid in buffering health inequities amongst children and adolescents.<ref>{{cite journal|title=BMC Public Health – Full text – Does neighbourhood social capital aid in levelling the social gradient in the health and well-being of children and adolescents? A literature review|journal=BMC Public Health|volume=13|pages=65|doi=10.1186/1471-2458-13-65|pmid=23339776|pmc=3574053|year=2013|last1=Vyncke|first1=Veerle|last2=De Clercq|first2=Bart|last3=Stevens|first3=Veerle|last4=Costongs|first4=Caroline|last5=Barbareschi|first5=Giorgio|last6=Jónsson|first6=Stefán Hrafn|last7=Curvo|first7=Sara Darias|last8=Kebza|first8=Vladimir|last9=Currie|first9=Candace|last10=Maes|first10=Lea |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Petrikova Ivica|first=Chadha Dhruv|date=2013|title=The Role of Social Capital in Risk-Sharing: Lessons from Andhra Pradesh|journal=Journal of South Asian Development|volume=8|issue=3|pages=359–383|doi=10.1177/0973174113504848|s2cid=154652075}}</ref> Social capital indicators such as neighbourhood cohesion, [[social support]], and ties providing a bond between members of the same religion, have been found to be associated with better health despite financial or socioeconomic hardship.<ref name="Uphoff 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Uphoff |first1=E |title=A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: a contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities |journal=International Journal for Equity in Health |volume=12 |date=2013 |issue=12 |pages=54 |doi=10.1186/1475-9276-12-54 |pmid=23870068 |pmc=3726325 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The function of social capital as a health buffer in circumstances of social disadvantage has also received attention in research on the health of minority ethnic populations. The relationships and networks that are maintained by an ethnic minority population in a geographical area where a high percentage of residents belong to the same ethnic group may lead to better health outcomes than would be expected based on other individual and neighbourhood characteristics. Such effects have been investigated in England,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Uphoff |first1=E |title=Is ethnic density associated with health in a context of social disadvantage? Findings from the Born in Bradford cohort |journal=Ethnicity & Health |date=2015 |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=196–213 |doi=10.1080/13557858.2015.1047742 |pmid=26169185 |hdl=10454/10076 |s2cid=21513221 |url=https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/10454/10076/3/uphoff_et_al_2015.pdf |hdl-access=free |access-date=24 September 2019 |archive-date=4 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204150325/https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10454/10076/uphoff_et_al_2015.pdf;jsessionid=22EEAF539CDCE207F5574B2844160310?sequence=3 |url-status=live }}</ref> New Zealand,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Becares |first1=L |title=Ethnic density and area deprivation: Neighbourhood effects on Māori health and racial discrimination in Aotearoa/New Zealand |journal=Social Science & Medicine |date=2013 |volume=88 |pages=76–82|doi=10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.04.007 |pmid=23702212 |pmc=3725420 }}</ref> and the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Becares |first1=L |title=Ethnic density effects on physical morbidity, mortality, and health behaviors: a systematic review of the literature |journal=American Journal of Public Health |date=2012 |volume=102 |issue=12 |pages=e33–66 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2012.300832 |pmid=23078507 |pmc=3519331 }}</ref>

Inversely, a lack of social capital can impair health. For example, results from a survey given to 13- to 18-year-old students in Sweden showed that low social capital and low social trust are associated with higher rates of psychosomatic symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and depression.<ref name="Aslund 2010">{{cite journal | last1 = Aslund | first1 = C. | last2 = Starrin | first2 = B. | last3 = Nilsson | first3 = K. | year = 2010 | title = Social capital in relation to depression, musculoskeletal pain, and psychosomatic symptoms: a cross-sectional study of a large population-based cohort of Swedish adolescents | journal = BMC Public Health | volume = 10 | page = 715 | doi=10.1186/1471-2458-10-715| pmid = 21092130 | pmc = 3091587 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Additionally, negative social capital can detract from health. Although there are only a few studies that assess social capital in criminalized populations, there is information that suggests that social capital does have a negative effect in broken communities. Deviant behavior is encouraged by deviant peers via favorable definitions and learning opportunities provided by network-based norms.<ref name="Sutherland & Cressey, 1978">[[Edwin H. Sutherland|Sutherland, Edwin H.]], and [[Donald R. Cressey]]. 1978. ''Criminology''. Philadelphia: [[J. B. Lippincott & Co.]]</ref> However, in these same communities, an adjustment of norms (i.e. deviant peers being replaced by positive role models) can pose a positive effect.
Researchers have also investigated the hypothesis that the health benefits of social capital depend on the socioeconomic resources an individual or community has available to them. For example, social capital may boost health only for those with higher levels of education, or more so for those with a higher rather than a lower income.<ref name="Uphoff 2013" /> This research is based on Bourdieu's notion that social, economic, and cultural capital are dependent on each other.<ref name="Bourdieu 1972" />