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The limits of social capital: Durkheim, suicide, and social cohesion

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  • Kushner, H.I.
  • Sterk, C.E.

Abstract

Recent applications of social capital theories to population health often draw on classic sociological theories for validation of the protective features of social cohesion and social integration. Durkheim's work on suicide has been cited as evidence that modern life disrupts social cohesion and results in a greater risk of morbidity and mortality-including self-destructive behaviors and suicide. We argue that a close reading of Durkheim's evidence supports the opposite conclusion and that the incidence of self-destructive behaviors such as suicide is often greatest among those with high levels of social integration. A reexamination of Durkheim's data on female suicide and suicide in the military suggests that we should be skeptical about recent studies connecting improved population health to social capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Kushner, H.I. & Sterk, C.E., 2005. "The limits of social capital: Durkheim, suicide, and social cohesion," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(7), pages 1139-1143.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2004.053314_4
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.053314
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    Cited by:

    1. Braswell, Harold & Kushner, Howard I., 2012. "Suicide, social integration, and masculinity in the U.S. military," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(4), pages 530-536.
    2. Yamamura, Eiji, 2015. "Comparison of Social Trust's effect on suicide ideation between urban and non-urban areas: The Case of Japanese Adults in 2006," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 118-126.
    3. Kidia, K. & Machando, D. & Dzoro, V. & Chibanda, D. & Abas, M. & Manda, E. & Mutengerere, A. & Nyandoro, T. & Chawarika, M. & Majichi, D. & van Dijk, J.H. & Jack, H., 2024. "Rural Friendship Bench: A qualitative study in Zaka district, Zimbabwe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 348(C).
    4. Vo Hoang Ha & Takeshi Mizunoya & Nguyen Duc Kien & Truong Quang Dung & Le Thanh An & Nguyen Thai Phan & Nguyen Quang Tan & Pham Thi Trieu Tien & Nguyen Cong Dinh, 2022. "Post-flood recovery in the central coastal plain of Vietnam: determinants and policy implications," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 899-929, October.
    5. Chen, Ying-Yeh & Chen, Mengni & Lui, Carrie S.M. & Yip, Paul S.F., 2017. "Female labour force participation and suicide rates in the world," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 61-67.
    6. Eiji Yamamura, 2015. "Comparison of Social Capital's Effect on Consideration of Suicide between Urban and Rural Areas," ISER Discussion Paper 0933, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    7. Fiedler, Charlotte & Mross, Karina & Berg, Anna & Bhattarai, Prakash & Drees, Dorothea & Kornprobst, Tim & Leibbrandt, Alexandra & Liegmann, Philipp & Riebsamen, Maleen, 2022. "What role do local elections play for societal peace in Nepal? Evidence from post-conflict Nepal," IDOS Discussion Papers 4/2022, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    8. Devries, Karen & Watts, Charlotte & Yoshihama, Mieko & Kiss, Ligia & Schraiber, Lilia Blima & Deyessa, Negussie & Heise, Lori & Durand, Julia & Mbwambo, Jessie & Jansen, Henrica & Berhane, Yemane & El, 2011. "Violence against women is strongly associated with suicide attempts: Evidence from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence against women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 79-86, July.
    9. Mitch Kunce, 2021. "The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on State Suicide Rates: Revisited," Journal of Statistical and Econometric Methods, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 10(4), pages 1-1.
    10. Miao, Jia & Wu, Xiaogang & Sun, Xiulin, 2019. "Neighborhood, social cohesion, and the Elderly's depression in Shanghai," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 134-143.
    11. Byung-sun You & Kyu-hyoung Jeong & Heeran J. Cho, 2020. "Regional Suicide Rate Change Patterns in Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-10, September.
    12. Hutchinson, Rebbeca N. & Putt, Mary A. & Dean, Lorraine T. & Long, Judith A. & Montagnet, Chantal A. & Armstrong, Katrina, 2009. "Neighborhood racial composition, social capital and black all-cause mortality in Philadelphia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 1859-1865, May.
    13. Peng, Sihui & Yang, Xiaozhao Yousef & Rockett, Ian R.H., 2019. "A typology of social capital and its mixed blessing for suicidal ideation: A multilevel study of college students," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    14. Ivory, Vivienne C. & Collings, Sunny C. & Blakely, Tony & Dew, Kevin, 2011. "When does neighbourhood matter? Multilevel relationships between neighbourhood social fragmentation and mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(12), pages 1993-2002, June.
    15. Eiji Yamamura, 2010. "The different impacts of socio-economic factors on suicide between males and females," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(10), pages 1009-1012.
    16. Carrasco, Maria A. & Bilal, Usama, 2016. "A sign of the times: To have or to be? Social capital or social cohesion?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 127-131.
    17. Rubin, Amir & Rubin, Eran & Segal, Dan, 2023. "Editor home bias?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    18. Tomáš Katrňák & Barbora Hubatková, 2022. "Does educational expansion decrease suicide rates in European countries? The compositional effect in educational stratification of suicides," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 923-947, June.
    19. Myers, Douglas J. & Kriebel, David & Karasek, Robert & Punnett, Laura & Wegman, David H., 2007. "The social distribution of risk at work: Acute injuries and physical assaults among healthcare workers working in a long-term care facility," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 794-806, February.
    20. Vivienne Ivory & Karen Witten & Clare Salmond & En-Yi Lin & Ru Quan You & Tony Blakely, 2012. "The New Zealand Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation: Integrating Theory and Data," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(4), pages 972-988, April.
    21. Yamamura, Eiji, 2008. "The role of social capital in homogeneous society: Review of recent researches in Japan," MPRA Paper 11385, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Haiyang Lu & Ivan T. Kandilov & Peng Nie, 2022. "Heterogeneous Impact of Social Integration on the Health of Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-14, August.

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