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One-year reciprocal relationship between community participation and mental wellbeing in Australia: A panel analysis

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  • Ding, Ning
  • Berry, Helen L.
  • O'Brien, Léan V.

Abstract

The links between social capital and mental wellbeing are established but the direction of the social capital-wellbeing relationship is rarely systematically examined. This omission undermines the validity of social capital as a basis for health interventions. The aim of this paper was to explore the short-term (one-year) reciprocal relationship between community participation – an important component of social capital – and mental wellbeing. We used nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data, 2005–11. The HILDA Survey is an annual cohort study from which was extracted a sub-sample of panel data (the same people participating across multiple waves) enabling us to use fixed effects regression methods to model the longitudinal association of mental health and participation controlling for individual heterogeneity. The results showed that better mental wellbeing in one year was generally related to more community participation the next year, while greater past community participation was linked to better mental wellbeing the next year independent of (i) initial mental wellbeing, (ii) multiple potentially confounding factors and (iii) unobserved and time-constant heterogeneity. Political participation was marginally related to worse mental health in both directions. The results also showed that the association between community participation and mental wellbeing the next year is weaker for those with poor initial wellbeing than for initially healthier respondents. Our findings may inform the trial and scientific evaluation of programs aimed at increasing informal social connectedness and civic engagement to promote mental wellbeing.

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  • Ding, Ning & Berry, Helen L. & O'Brien, Léan V., 2015. "One-year reciprocal relationship between community participation and mental wellbeing in Australia: A panel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 246-254.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:128:y:2015:i:c:p:246-254
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.01.022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Landstedt, Evelina & Almquist, Ylva B. & Eriksson, Malin & Hammarström, Anne, 2016. "Disentangling the directions of associations between structural social capital and mental health: Longitudinal analyses of gender, civic engagement and depressive symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 135-143.
    3. He, Sylvia Y. & Thøgersen, John & Cheung, Yannie H.Y. & Yu, Alesia H.Y., 2020. "Ageing in a transit-oriented city: Satisfaction with transport, social inclusion and wellbeing," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 85-94.
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    5. Tao, Sui & Kamruzzaman, Liton & Ma, Jing, 2024. "Transport disadvantage and social inclusion: Exploring the role of smartphone use for transport purposes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
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    7. Lindström, Martin & Giordano, Giuseppe N., 2016. "The 2008 financial crisis: Changes in social capital and its association with psychological wellbeing in the United Kingdom – A panel study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 71-80.
    8. Ken Ka-wo Fung & Chao-Lung Liu & Ming-Lun Chung, 2022. "Bowling Alone in Taiwan? Political Trust and Civic Participation of Taiwanese and Their Appraisal of Liberal Democracy and Personal Wellbeing," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 1085-1102, February.
    9. Conti-Ramsden, Gina & Durkin, Kevin & Mok, Pearl L.H. & Toseeb, Umar & Botting, Nicola, 2016. "Health, employment and relationships: Correlates of personal wellbeing in young adults with and without a history of childhood language impairment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 20-28.
    10. Chan, Randolph C.H. & Mak, Winnie W.S., 2020. "Empowerment for civic engagement and well-being in emerging adulthood: Evidence from cross-regional and cross-lagged analyses," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    11. Fiorillo, Damiano & Lubrano Lavadera, Giuseppe & Nappo, Nunzia, 2016. "Social participation and self-rated psychological health," MPRA Paper 72879, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Veronica Matthews & Jo Longman & James Bennett-Levy & Maddy Braddon & Megan Passey & Ross S. Bailie & Helen L. Berry, 2020. "Belonging and Inclusivity Make a Resilient Future for All: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Post-Flood Social Capital in a Diverse Australian Rural Community," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-30, October.
    13. Lebenbaum, Michael & Laporte, Audrey & de Oliveira, Claire, 2021. "The effect of mental health on social capital: An instrumental variable analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).

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