title: Workplace social capital and mental health among Chinese employees: a multi-level, cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Whereas the majority of previous research on social capital and health has been on residential neighborhoods and communities, the evidence remains sparse on workplace social capital. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the association between workplace social capital and health status among Chinese employees in a large, multi-level, cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  By employing a two-stage stratified random sampling procedure, 2,796 employees were identified from 35 workplaces in Shanghai during March to November 2012. Workplace social capital was assessed using a validated and psychometrically tested eight-item measure, and the Chinese language version of the WHO-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) was used to assess mental health. Control variables included sex, age, marital status, education level, occupation status, smoking status, physical activity, and job stress. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore whether individual- and workplace-level social capital was associated with mental health status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 34.9% of workers reported poor mental health (WHO-5<13). After controlling for individual-level socio-demographic and lifestyle variables, compared to workers with the highest quartile of personal social capital, workers with the third, second, and lowest quartiles exhibited 1.39 to 3.54 times greater odds of poor mental health, 1.39 (95% CI: 1.10-1.75), 1.85 (95% CI: 1.38-2.46) and 3.54 (95% CI: 2.73-4.59), respectively. Corresponding odds ratios for workplace-level social capital were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.61-1.49), 1.14 (95% CI: 0.72-1.81) and 1.63 (95% CI: 1.05-2.53) for the third, second, and lowest quartiles, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher workplace social capital is associated with lower odds of poor mental health among Chinese employees. Promoting social capital at the workplace may contribute to enhancing employees' mental health in China.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Junling
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Junming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yingnan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xingdi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Kezhi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult