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Multilevel, cross‐sectional study on social capital with psychogeriatric health among older J apanese people dwelling in rural areas
Author(s) -
Yuasa Motoyuki,
Ukawa Shigekazu,
Ikeno Tamiko,
Kawabata Tomoko
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12024
Subject(s) - social capital , mental health , geriatric depression scale , psychology , scale (ratio) , gerontology , multilevel model , self rated health , older people , quality of life (healthcare) , social engagement , social support , depression (economics) , healthy aging , cohesion (chemistry) , depressive symptoms , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , cognition , sociology , geography , social science , cartography , machine learning , computer science , economics , psychotherapist , macroeconomics , chemistry , organic chemistry
Aim There has been increasing interest in the effect of social capital ( SC ) on health over the last decade both in J apan and internationally. This study elucidated whether components of SC are linked to the psychogeriatric health of older Japanese individuals. Method Data for 169 eligible older people living in three rural areas were collected. Multilevel analyses were performed to examine associations between general trust, informal social interaction and formal group participation with self‐rated health, mini‐mental state examination ( MMSE ), self‐rated depression scale ( SDS ) and general self‐efficacy scale ( GSES ). Results Our study revealed that MMSE , SDS and GSES were significantly associated with informal social interaction and formal group participation after adjusting for area‐level SC . However, we observed no relationship between general trust and health outcomes. Conclusion The findings suggest that the strategic enhancement of social cohesion and social networks for older people may promote their health and quality of later life.