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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Understanding the role of social capital for mental wellbeing among older adults | | Author(s) | A K Forsman, C Herberts, F Nyqvist |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 33, no 5, July 2013 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, July 2013 |
| Pages | pp 804-825 |
| Source | journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Citizenship ; Social interaction ; Participation ; Well being ; Correlation ; Finland. |
| Annotation | Previous research applying quantifiable measurements has established significant positive associations between social capital and mental health in older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of social capital affecting mental well-being among older people. The study is based on two independent qualitative data materials collected through two focus group interviews and an open-ended question included in a Finnish population-based postal survey. The findings indicate that informal social contacts such as family members and life-long relationships between friends impact the experienced mental well-being among older people due to shared life events, social support, mutual appreciation and trust, as well as a sense of belonging through common social activities. Hence, this study challenges Putnam's idea of social capital as a collective concept that focus on formal contacts and the benefits on a collective level. In addition, the findings highlight the obstacles specific to older people in maintaining social networks and participation, which should be considered in order to promote mental health in later life. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-130628203 A |
| Classmark | IKC: TMA: TMB: D:F:5HH: 49: 76L |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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