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Social capital in Japan: What characteristics do public health nurses see in their communities?
Author(s) -
Honda Hikaru,
Kawaharada Mariko,
Shindo Yukari,
Tanaka Rie,
Nakajima Ayaka,
Nimura Yuki
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
japan journal of nursing science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.363
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1742-7924
pISSN - 1742-7932
DOI - 10.1111/jjns.12178
Subject(s) - social capital , public health , context (archaeology) , health promotion , public health nursing , qualitative research , nursing , public relations , psychology , sociology , medicine , political science , geography , social science , archaeology
Aim A concept of social capital that accounts for a community's cultural background and incorporates social capital into public health nursing practice are needed. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of social capital in the context of public health nursing in Japan. Methods The study interviewed 11 veteran public health nurses from five municipalities across Japan and undertook a qualitative research analysis. A digital voice recorder was used to collect qualitative data by using a background data sheet and semistructured interviews. Trustworthiness in interpreting the data was ensured by conducting 13 additional interviews with residents and collating the two sets of results. Results All the participants were female: 10 were veterans with ≥15 years’ experience. Nine worked in management. The methods yielded six categories: (i) the richness of the interactions among the residents; (ii) the community residents who showed concern for those in need; (iii) community civic activities; (iv) the residents’ willingness to contribute to the community; (v) the health promotion volunteers who work alongside the public health nurses; and (vi) an enriched community environment. Conclusion The results contribute to an understanding of social capital in the context of public health nursing activities and further research on social capital. It also is discussed how social capital can be incorporated into public health nursing activities in the future.