Individuals who have a diverse social network that spans multiple communities are less likely to use antidepressants, according to a spatial analysis published today in Science Advances.
A rich amount of research has shown that “bonding” social capital—having strong social support within a community—can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, noted Balázs Lengyel, Ph.D., of the Corvinus University of Budapest, and colleagues. “Fewer investigators have argued for or explored the importance of diverse networks that can mobilize ‘bridging’ social capital, despite their pivotal role in providing, say, economic opportunities that subsequently influence health outcomes,” they wrote.
Lengyel and colleagues used data from the Hungarian National Healthcare Service Centre to assess antidepressant purchases from 2011 to 2015 for all Hungarians living in small towns (5,000 to 20,000 population). They linked that data to individuals’ social networks in 2011 using the International Who Is Who social media site, where people could create an online phone and address book of their friends. A total of 277,344 individuals had both antidepressant and social network information available.
The analysis found that both higher local cohesion—having a strong, connected group of friends within a town—and higher spatial diversity—having friends in diverse communities across the country—were associated with fewer days of antidepressant use over five years. However, the association was significantly greater for spatial diversity than local cohesion. The benefits of spatial diversity were also greater for younger individuals than older ones.
“Bridging social capital is extremely important for members of geographically isolated communities, where the lack of outside connections can make bonding social capital and cohesive social networks possibly even harmful for mental health by placing too much control on the individual, or by isolating the individual in an unhealthy social environment,” Lengyel and colleagues wrote.
“Whether our findings hold in large cities where local networks can provide more diversity is a question to be answered,” the researchers continued. “Social media can also spoil mental health; thus, we need a better understanding how the role of online and offline communication networks changes over time.”
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Faith Communities Are Potent Resource for Creating Connection and ‘Mattering’.”
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