Association between social capital indicators and depressive symptoms among Brazilian university students

Ciencia e Saude Coletiva

article

Backhaus, Insa¹  Borges, Carolina²  Baer, Alice de Paula¹  Monteiro, Luciana Zaranza³  Torre, Giuseppe La¹  Varela, Andrea Ramirez⁴ 

[1] Sapienza University of Rome;The College of New Jersey;University Center of Federal District;Universidad de los Andes

关键词: Depressive symptoms;    Students;    Social capital;    Latin America;   

DOI  :  10.1590/1413-81232022273.01162021

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Associacao Brasileira de Pos - Graduacao em Saude Coletiva

【 摘 要 】

The study aimed to investigate the association between social capital indicators and depressive symptoms among university students from Brazil. The study drew on a sample of 579 randomly selected university students, from a greater crossnational study conducted in 2018. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing depressive symptoms, indicators of social capital and lifestyle behaviors. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models. Indicators of social capital included trust, group membership and frequency of meeting friends. Four social capital indicators were significantly associated with clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Students who agreed that people are likely to take advantage of one another were more likely to report depressive clinically relevant symptoms (OR: 1.80, 95%CI: 1.00 - 3.23) as well as students who agreed that people are not willing to help in case needed (OR: 2.11, 95%CI: 1.02 - 4.36). Perceived stress, smoking and hazardous alcohol consumption were not associated with clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Social capital plays an important role in explaining depressive symptoms among Brazilian university students. The study suggests that creating trust and enhancing participation in social networks can be an important strategy for promoting mental health among university students investigated in this study.

【 授权许可】

CC BY