Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Volume 51, Issue 4, 2016, Pages 529-538

Neighborhood settings, types of social capital and depression among immigrants in Toronto (Article)

Daoud N.* , Haque N. , Gao M. , Nisenbaum R. , Muntaner C. , O’Campo P.
  • a Department of Public Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva, 84015, Israel, Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • b Wellesley Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • c Wellesley Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • d Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • e Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • f Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Abstract

Purpose: Few studies consider the associations between neighborhood social capital and immigrant’s mental health. We examined associations between bonding, bridging and linking social capital and depression among immigrants in Toronto neighborhoods. Methods: We used data on immigrants from the neighborhood effects on health and well-being (NEHW) study, conducted in 47 randomly selected greater Toronto area neighborhoods (sample = 916), and a study of one low-income, immigrant receiving neighborhood (IRN) (sample = 600). We conducted logistic regression models for depression (Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D) and social capital types: bonding (social cohesion and informal social control), bridging (group membership) and linking (engagement in political activities), while adjusting for different covariates. Results: The prevalence of depression was 22.9 % in IRN and 21.4 % in NEHW. The associations between social capital types and depression differed in each sample. Lower social cohesion (bonding) was associated with higher depression in NEHW only. Lower linking social capital (never participated in political activities) was associated with lower depression in IRN only. These associations were consistent after adjustment for different covariates. Conclusions: Results suggest that social cohesion might have a protective effect from depression among immigrants in NEHW. In IRN, lower linking social capital associated with lower depression might reflect opposite direction association. Bridging social capital was not associated with depression in either sample, indicating that current community building might be insufficient to impact depression. Different pathways might explain how depression among immigrants is impacted by social capital types operating in different neighborhood settings; this could be examined in future longitudinal studies. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Author Keywords

Depression Toronto, Canada Bridging and linking social capital Bonding immigrant mental health

Index Keywords

depression immigrant social capital longitudinal study controlled clinical trial lowest income group logistic regression analysis demography poverty human wellbeing middle aged statistics and numerical data controlled study randomized controlled trial neighborhood Residence Characteristics Cross-Sectional Studies cross-sectional study migrant psychology Humans model male Canada Emigrants and Immigrants female social control chemical binding prevalence adult Poverty Areas
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84962663262&doi=10.1007%2fs00127-016-1173-z&partnerID=40&md5=028b477a652ccf4353bb2ce7709be45d
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-016-1173-z
ISSN: 09337954
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English