Social capital is defined as "characteristics of social organizations such as" trust, "" norms, "and" networks "that can increase the efficiency of society by activating the cooperative behavior of people." It is a concept to be done.In recent years, attention has also been focused on the relationship with mental health because it is composed of elements such as trust, networks, and mutual help.
On the other hand, in Japan in recent years, the prevention of children's mental health problems is a social issue, as the number of children refusing to attend school has increased and the number of suicides among young people (2020 years old or younger) will reach a record high in 19.Therefore, researchers at Hirosaki University conducted a study to clarify the relationship between social capital, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in elementary and junior high school children.
In September 2018, a survey was conducted on 9 children in the 4th to 3rd grades of elementary school, and valid responses were obtained from 8,184 (7,709%).As a result of this analysis, it became clear that children who perceive high social capital have low depression and high quality of life, that is, good mental health.In particular, social capital related to "school" was found to be significantly associated with depression and QOL, suggesting that the factor of "school" is important for the mental health of children.
Furthermore, it was also revealed that when the social capital of the school the children attend (using the average value of the social capital scores of the enrolled children) is high, the depression of the children belonging to the school is low and the QoL is high. ..It can be said that not only increasing the social capital felt by each child, but also increasing the social capital of the school they attend may help prevent mental health problems of children. right.
Paper information:[PLOS ONE] The Association of Social Capital with Depression and Quality of Life in School-Aged Children
