Article

The Role of Social Capital in Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lucas Heiki Matsunaga, Department of International Environment and Resources Policy, Tohoku University, 41 Kawauchi, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0862, Japan,

[email protected]

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0276-5130

Department of International Environment and Resources Policy, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

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Daniel P. Aldrich

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4150-995X

Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

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Cristiane Faiad

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8012-8893

Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil

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Toshiaki Aoki

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1683-5307

Department of International Environment and Resources Policy, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

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Po-Hsing Tseng

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4015-0647

Department of Shipping and Transportation Management of National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan

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, and

Jun Aida

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8405-9872

Department of Oral Health Promotion of the Tokyo Medical and Dental Unviersity, Tokyo, Japan

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Published Online:February 05, 2024https://doi.org/10.1027/2157-3891/a000093

Abstract

Abstract: Depression remains a major concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social capital provides support for those struggling with this condition. However, we know little about its multidimensional role as a correlate of mental health. We collected data from 896 participants in three major cities in the United States, Brazil, and Japan between December 31, 2020, and March 3, 2021. Using these data, we conducted a multiple linear regression for correlates with depression measured with the PHQ-4 using social cohesion and controls for demographic factors, such as age and gender. Bonding social capital strongly correlated with depression across the three cultures, while other factors varied according to the location. In Brazil and the United States, a substantial correlate was age. To manage the high prevalence of depression, policymakers should encourage strong social ties within communities.

Impact and Implications:

Given the rise of depression due to the pandemic, the findings show how countries, despite their differences in culture and inequalities, need social networks in their communities as a shield for mental health. This is the first quantitative, cross-national survey using the same questionnaire to make this investigation. Thus, it provides a commitment to diversity and inclusion, revealing new steps to understanding the role of personal relationships in global mental health policymaking and research.

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Volume 13Issue 2April 2024

ISSN: 2157-3883eISSN: 2157-3891

History

ReceivedApril 3, 2023
RevisedOctober 20, 2023
AcceptedOctober 29, 2023
Published onlineFebruary 5, 2024

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Keywords

Acknowledgments:

This study is part of the project named “The Behavioral Mechanisms of cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international comparative analysis in Japan, The United States, Taiwan, and Brazil” with support from the frontline of COVID-19 research of Tohoku University, Japan.

Conflict of Interest:

None.

Publication Ethics:

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The research was approved by the research ethics committee of Tohoku University, Graduate School of International Cultural Studies (Approval No. 2020-2). All authors are credited for substantial contributions to the paper while critically revising it for important intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be published.

Authorship:

Lucas Heiki Matsunaga, project administration, supervision, visualization, writing – review & editing, writing – original draft, data curation, investigation, formal analysis, validation, software, methodology, conceptualization; Daniel P. Aldrich, visualization, writing – review & editing, writing – original draft, investigation, formal analysis, methodology, conceptualization; Cristiane Faiad, investigation, writing – review & editing, validation, methodology; Toshiaki Aoki, funding acquisition, project administration, writing – review & editing, investigation, methodology; Po-Hsing Tseng, writing – review & editing, investigation, methodology; Jun Aida, writing –review & editing, investigation, methodology.

Open Data:

Data are available by e-mail contact with authors.

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Funding:

Nothing to declare.

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