The buffering effect of social capital for daily mental stress in an unequal society: a lesson from Seoul

Abstract

This study attempted to illustrate whether mental health deterioration could be alleviated by high social capital in an environment with high economic inequality. Daily mental stress was employed as a mental health factor when analyzing the association with economic inequality in the Seoul Survey data. Regarding social capital, community trust and altruism were included as cognitive dimensions, and participation and cooperation were included as structural dimensions in each model. The first finding showed a significantly positive relationship between economic inequality and daily stress, meaning that, like other mental health problems, daily mental stress is also high in regions with high economic inequality. Second, the slope of the daily stress increased in respondents with high social trust and participation was alleviated in an economically unequal environment. This indicates that social trust and participation have a buffering effect by moderating the slope of daily stress in societies with high inequality. Third, the buffering effect differs depending on the social capital factor. The buffering effect of trust and participation showed in an unequal environment, while the buffering effect of cooperation showed regardless of the unequal environment. In summary, social capital factors showed the effect of relieving daily mental stress in the relationship with economic inequality. Also, the buffering effect of social capital on mental health may show different aspects for each element.

Stress Dynamics in Seoul's Social Mix Housing based on Housing Prices: Analyzing Discrimination and the Mitigating Role of Social Capital

“…The manifestation of economic gaps is evident in various social gaps such as health and healthcare, culture and living, education and mindset, and physical gaps in residential and urban public spaces [24]. These gaps are linked to psychological health problems owing to the tendency to compare ourselves with others, increasing stress levels, and hindering social communication between groups [25][26][27].…”

Socio-economic inequities in mental health problems and wellbeing among women working in the apparel and floriculture sectors: testing the mediating role of psychological capital, social support and tangible assets

“…Previous research has for instance indicated that, in collectivistic countries, social approval has the same predictive power towards wellbeing as do individual emotions, whereas in Western high-income countries, social approval was shown to play a less important role than emotions [ 38 ]. Furthermore, the buffering effect of social capital (an interpersonal reserve) showed to be stronger in more unequal and collectivistic societies [ 39 ], and for people with a lower socio-economic position [ 40 , 41 ], compared with more equal societies and people with a higher socio-economic position, respectively. This additionally indicates that interpersonal reserves might play a larger explanatory role in health and wellbeing inequities among women working in FDI in Ethiopia.…”

“…In collectivistic societies, the interconnectedness between people is more highly valued than individualistic societies [ 35 ]. Furthermore, in countries showing greater socio-economic inequalities and where more people experience financial scarcity (i.e., Ethiopia), the buffering effect of interpersonal reserves such as social capital might be greater than in countries that are more equal [ 39 ] and the value of money could be more pressing [ 42 – 44 ]. Therefore, we expect that, in the context of Ethiopia, interpersonal reserves and tangible reserves could play a more important role than intrapersonal reserves, considering the associations between SEP (independent variable) and mental health problems and wellbeing (dependent variables).…”