Definitions and concepts How do they networks relate to health Case studies Session outcomes To outline the nature of social and community networks To define the concepts of social support and social capital ID: 532283
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Slide1
Social and community networks
Definitions and concepts
How do they networks relate to health?
Case studies Slide2
Session outcomes
To outline the nature of social and community networks
To define the concepts of social support and social capital
To examine how these networks influence healthSlide3
What are networks?
Social
and community networks are primarily concerned with interactions between groups of people and/or organisations & institutions
.
Social
networks can be analysed in terms
structure
ie
number
of
people,
frequency of
contacts and diversity as well as the quality of the network and types of support given. Slide4
What is social support- definition
Social support is defined “as information leading to the subject to believe [they are] cared for and loved, is esteemed and valued and belongs to a social network of communication and mutual obligation” (Cobb, 1976 p 301
).
Tends to be used when examining more an individual level network
Reciprocity emphasises
an extremely important element of social support for health
where
you not only receive social support but
also
give social
support (
Stansfeld
, 2005).
This
reciprocity has important implications for building connected communities and enhancing the health of
communities. Slide5
Elements of social support
House
(1981) characterises four types of social support which also assess
the
quality
of the network.
emotional (
eg
love, trust, empathy);
appraisal (
eg
affirmation and feedback);
informational (
eg
advice )
instrumental (
eg
tangible help money and time).Slide6
How does social support work ?
Adapted from Uchino (2006)
Social support
Behavioural elements
Healthy behaviours & advice
Compliance of treatment plans
Psychological processes
Affirming and coping
Control etc.
Biological processes:
Low blood pressure
Hormonal regulation
Immune function
Health
outcomesSlide7
Pathways of social support
Behavioural- social
networks
can promote
healthy behaviours such as physical activity &
relaxation
Psychological – social network can promote sense of belonging and be valued leading to strong self-esteem. It can also facilitate coping strategies in response to difficulties.
It is hypothesised these pathways can lead to physiological changes that improve health outcomesSlide8
Evidence of importance of social support for health
Berkman
and
Syme
(1979)
found
that people who were less socially integrated had higher mortality rates consistently over a nine year
period and concluded
that social support
protected
to some extent against premature death.
The
strongest evidence is between social support and coronary heart disease (Brummett et al., 2001). Slide9
Examples
People in the social network provided support that lead to psychological adjustment in people with HIV (Turner-Cobb
et al
., , 2002)
Social support associated with well-being in young people (Po
Sen
Chu
et al
., , 2010)
Theorell
et al.
, (1995) investigated how higher levels of social support predicted higher counts of CD4 cells in the blood (these are the cells in the immune system that HIV infect and destroy)
Slide10
What is social capital – definition ?
definition of social capital is “features of social organisation such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate co-ordination and collaboration for mutual benefit” (Putnam, 1995 p 67).
More of a
meso
/ecological-level of
communities
level
concept emphasising institutional networks. Slide11
Types of social capital
(Office of National Statistics, 2003)
Bonding social capital- based on enduring, relationships between similar people with strong mutual commitments such as among friends, family and other close-knit groups
.
Bridging
social capital - formed from the connections between people who have less in common, but may have overlapping interests, for example, between neighbours, colleagues, or between different groups within a community. “It acts like a sociological superglue, binding together groups in the community and so can facilitate common action” (McKenzie and
Harpham
, 2006 p15
)
Linking social capital - between people or organisations cutting across status and similarity and enabling people to exert influence and obtain resources outside their usual networks. This type of social capital is important for accessing services such as welfare benefitsSlide12
Measurement of social capital
No consensus although many researchers focus on aspects of trust between social and community networks but also on trust we place in institutions. Slide13
Amounts of social capital
Health Development
Agency UK
(2004) measured social capital and found .
People in more disadvantaged groups were generally more likely to know and speak to their neighbours but less likely to trust them.
Nearly 60% of respondents felt well informed about local affairs
A quarter felt that they could personally influence decisions in their areaSlide14
Summary of mechanisms adapted
from
Berkman
et al
., (2000) Slide15
How social capital work ?
Not well elucidated hypotheses include:
In
communities that trust each, other relations between people are likely to be more co-operative and less stressful
.
More egalitarian societies tend to engender a spirit of reciprocity fostering closer bonds and bridges, greater spirit of social support leading to direct physiological process that shape our health. Slide16
Seeing inequalities may lead to
both discontentment and feed into both psychological and biological pathways.
“
A house may be large or small as long as the surrounding houses are equally small it satisfies all social demands for a dwelling. But if a palace arises beside a little house the little house shrinks to a hovel ………more dissatisfied and cramped” (Marx,
nd
cited in
Marmott
and Wilkinson, 2001p 1234).Slide17
Examples of social capital and health
Membership
in voluntary
groups and higher levels of social
trust had
a more equal income structure and had lower total and disease specific mortality
rates
(
Kawachi
,
et al
., 1997).
Men with low social capital were nearly twice as likely to have a psychiatric disorder (Rose, 2000)The prevalence of poor self-rated health was higher in neighbourhoods with more family ties, less integration into the wider society, and lower levels of trust (Stafford et al., 2004) Slide18
Settings for generating social support and social capital
Family although strong family bonds can weaken bridging and linking social capital.
Neighbourhoods and local areas
Faith-based organisations
Schools Slide19
Implications for policy and practice
Influences the nature and methods of action
Favours community development, bottom up and empowerment approaches of action.
Promotes civic engagement and belonging to community groups
Promotes spirit of volunteerism
Consideration of how communities are networks and how these networks may be built.Slide20
Summary
Social support and social capital are interlinked conceptually
Clear evidence of links between social
support and social capital
have been found.
Mechanisms linking
s
ocial
support and social capital
to health outcomes are hypothesised but not well elucidated
Social support and social capital
for practitioners work
with
communities.