Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this empirical literature review was to conduct a scoping review outlining all research focusing on the association between social capital and depressive symptoms. To be included in the review articles were required to include a definition and measurement of depressive symptoms and social capital dimensions.

Methods: Studies from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, CINAHL, and APA databases were included. Search terms included “social capital” and variations of the term “depression.” Two researchers blindly assessed studies using Covidence software. Outcome variables were various social capital measures and depressive symptoms.

Results: 2486 studies were identified, which were reduced to 1258 after the duplicates were removed. 1135 studies were found irrelevant and 125 studies were assessed for eligibility through a full-text review. 39 studies were found to be eligible for this review.

Conclusion: The review indicated a strong association between cognitive social capital and depression. However, mixed results between other dimensions of social capital and depression warrant further research. Specifically, more longitudinal research is needed to examine the association between variables.