Dataset Information

Does social capital aid in leveling the income gradient in child mental health? A structural analysis of the left-behind and not-left-behind Chinese children.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Few prior studies have investigated the income gradient in child mental health from a socio-environmental perspective. In an age when child mental health problems in a rapidly changing social environment have become a worldwide issue, an understanding of the socio-environmental mechanisms of the income disparities in child mental health outcomes is imperative and cost-effective.

Methods

By conducting structural equation analyses with Chinese nationally representative survey data, this study explored the family income gradient in child depression and its potential socio-environmental pathways at the neighborhood, family and school levels, differentiating left-behind and not-left-behind children.

Results

We found a robust family income gradient in depressive symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion mitigated the income gradient in depressive symptoms by playing a suppression role. School social capital acted as a mediator. Neighborhood trust, neighborhood safety and family social capital played no significant impact. The mitigating and mediating roles of social capital components were significant among only the not-left-behind children.

Conclusions

To reduce income-related inequalities in child mental health in the long run, integrating policies that directly reduce poverty with policies that improve distal socio-environments is necessary.

SUBMITTER: Gu L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10360305 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Does social capital aid in leveling the income gradient in child mental health? A structural analysis of the left-behind and not-left-behind Chinese children.

Gu Lijuan L Yang Linsheng L Li Hairong H

BMC public health 20230720 1

<h4>Background</h4>Few prior studies have investigated the income gradient in child mental health from a socio-environmental perspective. In an age when child mental health problems in a rapidly changing social environment have become a worldwide issue, an understanding of the socio-environmental mechanisms of the income disparities in child mental health outcomes is imperative and cost-effective.<h4>Methods</h4>By conducting structural equation analyses with Chinese nationally representative su ...[more]

PMID: 37474894

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Project description:OBJECTIVE:To examine the association between social capital and the health of male and female left-behind older adults in rural China. STUDY DESIGN:This cross-sectional study among the left-behind older adults aged 60 and older and with all their children working outside of Hubei, Shaanxi and Guangdong provinces in China was conducted in 2017-2018. A total of 1106 questionnaires were collected (participation rate=100.0%), and questionnaires from 1016 participants were used (effective rate=91.9%). METHODS:An ordinary least squares model was used to evaluate the association between social capital and health. Social capital included family trust, friend/neighbour trust, stranger trust, social participation, and network size and density. Health outcomes included basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL) and depression. RESULTS:Elevated family trust, friend/neighbour trust, stranger trust, high-level participation and middle-level network density were associated with reduced depression (b=-3.23, p<0.001; b=-0.41, p<0.001; b=-0.76, p<0.01; b=-1.04, p<0.05; b=-0.74, p<0.05, respectively). High-level participation and network density were also associated with elevated BADL (b=0.16, p<0.05; b=0.24, p<0.05, respectively). Elevated family trust (b=-2.86, p<0.05 in men; b=-3.86, p<0.001 in women), stranger trust (b=-0.68, p<0.05 in men; b=-0.80, p<0.05 in women) and high-level participation (b=-0.92, p<0.05 in men; b=-1.22, p<0.01 in women) were associated with reduced depression in both sexes. By contrast, elevated friend/neighbour trust was associated with reduced depression (b=-0.56, p<0.001) in women, high-level participation was associated with elevated BADL (b=0.19, p<0.05) and IADL (b=0.43, p<0.05) in men, and high-level network density was associated with elevated BADL (b=0.44, p<0.05) and IADL (b=0.57, p<0.05) and reduced depression (b=-1.05, p<0.05) in women. CONCLUSIONS:Social capital is closely related to left-behind older adults' health in rural China. More attention should be paid to increasing the stock of social capital in this special population, with a particular focus on the sex disparity.

Project description:BackgroundChildren from low income families are likely to have poorer mental health than their more affluent peers. However, it is unclear how this association varies at different developmental stages and what the potential underpinning mechanisms are. This study investigates the relationship between family income and mental health problems from early childhood to adolescence in the UK, and examines the potential mediating role of family-related factors over time.MethodsData were drawn from the UK Millennium Cohort Study at ages 3, 5, 7, 11, 14 and 17 years. Child mental health was measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Total Difficulties Score, and the Internalising and Externalising subscales. Family income was operationalised as permanent income. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted at each age to examine the association between income and mental health problems, and to examine potential mechanisms based on the Parental Stress and Parental Investment theories.ResultsThe samples included 8096 children aged up to 14 years, of which 5667 remained in the study at age 17. Results indicated a statistically significant association between lower family income and poorer mental health in all age groups after adjusting for confounding factors. The strength of the association was reduced after adjustment for Parental Stress and Parental Investment factors, with the larger attenuation driven by Parental Stress factors in most cases. Fully adjusted models suggested an increased independent association between maternal psychological distress and children's mental health as children grew older.ConclusionsWhile lower family income is associated with a child's poorer mental health, much of this association is explained by other factors such as maternal psychological distress, and therefore the direct association is relatively small. This suggests that policies targeting income redistribution may reduce child mental health problems, and also benefit the wider family, reducing the prevalence of other associated risk factors.

Project description:BackgroundSocial capital has become an important concept in the field of public health, and is associated with improved health services uptake. This study aimed to systematically review the available literature on the role of social capital on the utilization of maternal and child health services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsMixed-methods research review and synthesis using three databases PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct for peer-reviewed literature and Google Scholar and Google search engines for gray literature were performed. Both quantitative and qualitative studies conducted in LMICs, published in English and in grey literature were considered. Prior to inclusion in the review methodological quality was assessed using a standardized critical appraisal instrument.ResultsA total of 1,545 studies were identified, of which 13 records were included after exclusions of studies due to duplicates, reading titles, abstracts, and full-text reviews. Of these eligible studies, six studies were included for quantitative synthesis, and seven were included for qualitative synthesis. Of the six quantitative studies, five of them addressed the association between social capital and health facility delivery. Women who lived in communities with higher membership in groups that helps to form intergroup bridging ties had higher odds of using antenatal care services. Synthesized qualitative findings revealed that women received some form of emotional, informational, and instrumental support from their network members. Receiving health information from trusted people and socio-cultural factors influenced the use of maternal and child health services.ConclusionsSocial capital has a great contribution to improve maternal and child health services. Countries aiming at improving maternal and child health services can be benefited from adapting existing context-specific social networks in the community. This review identified limited available evidence examining the role of social capital on maternal and child health services uptake and future studies may be required for an in-depth understanding of how social capital could improve maternal and child health services.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42021226923.

Dataset Information

Does social capital aid in leveling the income gradient in child mental health? A structural analysis of the left-behind and not-left-behind Chinese children.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Does social capital aid in leveling the income gradient in child mental health? A structural analysis of the left-behind and not-left-behind Chinese children.

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