title: Disentangling the directions of associations between structural social capital and mental health: Longitudinal analyses of gender, civic engagement and depressive symptoms.
abstract: The present paper analysed the directions of associations between individual-level structural social capital, in the form of civic engagement, and depressive symptoms across time from age 16-42 years in Swedish men and women. More specifically, we asked whether civic engagement was related to changes in depressive symptoms, if it was the other way around, or whether the association was bi-directional. This longitudinal study used data from a 26-year prospective cohort material of 1001 individuals in Northern Sweden (482 women and 519 men). Civic engagement was measured by a single-item question reflecting the level of engagement in clubs/organisations. Depressive symptoms were assessed by a composite index. Directions of associations were analysed by means of gender-separate cross-lagged structural equation models. Models were adjusted for parental social class, parental unemployment, parental health, and family type at baseline (age 16). Levels of both civic engagement and depressive symptoms were relatively stable across time. The model with the best fit to data showed that, in men, youth civic engagement was negatively associated with depressive symptoms in adulthood, thus supporting the hypothesis that involvement in social networks promotes health, most likely through provision of social and psychological support, perceived influence, and sense of belonging. Accordingly, interventions to promote civic engagement in young men could be a way to prevent poor mental health for men later on in life. No cross-lagged effects were found among women. We discuss this gender difference in terms of gendered experiences of civic engagement which in turn generate different meanings and consequences for men and women, such as civic engagement not being as positive for women's mental health as for that of men. We conclude that theories on structural social capital and interventions to facilitate civic engagement for health promoting purposes need to acknowledge gendered life circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Norrland University Hospital, SE-901 85 Umeå, Sweden. Electronic address: evelina.landstedt@umu.se.
authors.forename: Evelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Landstedt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ylva B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Almquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Norrland University Hospital, SE-901 85 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Norrland University Hospital, SE-901 85 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hammarström
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003256:Community Participation / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D066270:Social Capital; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Cross-lagged structural equation models; Gender; Life course; Longitudinal; Mental health; Social capital; Social networks; Sweden