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Social capital at work as a predictor of employee health: Multilevel evidence from work units in Finland

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  • Oksanen, Tuula
  • Kouvonen, Anne
  • Kivimäki, Mika
  • Pentti, Jaana
  • Virtanen, Marianna
  • Linna, Anne
  • Vahtera, Jussi

Abstract

The majority of previous research on social capital and health is limited to social capital in residential neighborhoods and communities. Using data from the Finnish 10-Town study we examined social capital at work as a predictor of health in a cohort of 9524 initially healthy local government employees in 1522 work units, who did not change their work unit between 2000 and 2004 and responded to surveys measuring social capital at work and health at both time-points. We used a validated tool to measure social capital with perceptions at the individual level and with co-workers' responses at the work unit level. According to multilevel modeling, a contextual effect of work unit social capital on self-rated health was not accounted for by the individual's socio-demographic characteristics or lifestyle. The odds for health impairment were 1.27 times higher for employees who constantly worked in units with low social capital than for those with constantly high work unit social capital. Corresponding odds ratios for low and declining individual-level social capital varied between 1.56 and 1.78. Increasing levels of individual social capital were associated with sustained good health. In conclusion, this longitudinal multilevel study provides support for the hypothesis that exposure to low social capital at work may be detrimental to the health of employees.

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  • Oksanen, Tuula & Kouvonen, Anne & Kivimäki, Mika & Pentti, Jaana & Virtanen, Marianna & Linna, Anne & Vahtera, Jussi, 2008. "Social capital at work as a predictor of employee health: Multilevel evidence from work units in Finland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 637-649, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:66:y:2008:i:3:p:637-649
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    6. Tuula Oksanen & Ichiro Kawachi & Anne Kouvonen & Soshi Takao & Etsuji Suzuki & Marianna Virtanen & Jaana Pentti & Mika Kivimäki & Jussi Vahtera, 2013. "Workplace Determinants of Social Capital: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from a Finnish Cohort Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(6), pages 1-7, June.
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    10. Piao, Xiangdan & Managi, Shunsuke, 2022. "Long-term improvement of psychological well-being in the workplace: What and how," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    11. Bart De Clercq & Els Clays & Heidi Janssens & Dirk De Bacquer & Annalisa Casini & France Kittel & Lutgart Braeckman, 2015. "Health Behaviours As a Mechanism in the Prospective Relation between Workplace Reciprocity and Absenteeism: A Bridge too Far ?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(11), pages 1-13, November.
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    13. Takakura, Minoru, 2011. "Does social trust at school affect students' smoking and drinking behavior in Japan?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 299-306, January.
    14. Xiaojie Sun & Nan Zhang & Kun Liu & Wen Li & Tuula Oksanen & Lizheng Shi, 2014. "Effects of a Randomized Intervention to Improve Workplace Social Capital in Community Health Centers in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-17, December.
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    16. Zihan Yang & Xu Cai & Yujia Jiang & Guobiao Li & Guojing Zhao & Peng Wang & Zhaoxin Huang, 2022. "What Are the Recipes of an Entrepreneur’s Subjective Well-Being? A Fuzzy-Set Approach for China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    17. Han, Sehee, 2013. "Compositional and contextual associations of social capital and self-rated health in Seoul, South Korea: A multilevel analysis of longitudinal evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 113-120.
    18. Kawachi, Ichiro & Subramanian, S.V., 2018. "Social epidemiology for the 21st century," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 240-245.
    19. Lancee, Bram & ter Hoeven, Claartje L., 2010. "Self-rated health and sickness-related absence: The modifying role of civic participation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(4), pages 570-574, February.

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