Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective.Social capital is generally defined as an individual's potential for tangible or social resources made available via interpersonal connections.Higher levels are related to a variety of positive health, well-being, and occupational outcomes.Social capital can be measured by a variety of indices in adulthood.Currently, the childhood precursors to adult social capital are relatively unknown.The current project tests a developmental-contextual model for both the measurement of social capital in adulthood and the childhood precursors that may impact its accumulation over the life course.Methods.523 participants were surveyed at age 8 and again at age 48 as part of a 40-year prospective, longitudinal study.Participants completed measures of cognitive abilities, relationships with parents, peers, and spouses, information about personal traits, and beliefs and attitudes regarding social relationships.Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model.Results.The proposed measurement model of social capital was generally supported, with latent domains of individual, interpersonal, socio-economic, and community level indices.Predictive models of childhood precursors for social capital differed by gender: prominent precursors were childhood aggression and cognitive ability for males, and childhood family religiosity for females.Conclusions.These findings suggest that a developmental-contextual model of social capital may account for the multiple indices of social capital and that its accumulation across the life course is different for males and females.Knowledge of precursors may be clinically helpful for fostering social capital growth in therapeutic settings.First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge my advisor, Dr.
Author: Gina Marie Mattei
Institution: Bowling Green State University
Language: English
Topic: Social Capital and Networks
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2625460848