Lindström Martin
Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Am J Epidemiol. 2008 May 15;167(10):1152-4. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwn070. Epub 2008 Apr 15.
The literature concerning social capital and health has grown exponentially during the past somewhat more than 10 years. The study by Kouvonen et al. (Am J Epidemiol 2008;167:1143-1151) is a longitudinal multilevel analysis of 33,577 public sector employees in Finland. The study shows a significant association between workplace social capital and depression, which is an interesting finding in a very new field of the study of social capital and health. However, the study also serves as an inspiration for further studies in important research areas. Workplace social capital may be investigated according to both horizontal, that is, social contacts and level of trust in relation to coworkers, and vertical, that is, relation with employer/supervisor across power gradients, dimensions. The fact that workplace social capital may affect social capital outside work and vice versa is also of interest. It is also important to define and identify the social context level in a correct way in multilevel studies. In the study by Kouvonen et al., the social context is not a geographic entity but an entity defined according to place of work, and the definition of such a social context entails several difficulties. This study presents interesting findings and provides a basis for future studies.
在过去十余年多一点的时间里，关于社会资本与健康的文献呈指数级增长。库沃宁等人的研究（《美国流行病学杂志》2008年；167:1143 - 1151）对芬兰33577名公共部门员工进行了纵向多层次分析。该研究表明工作场所社会资本与抑郁症之间存在显著关联，这在社会资本与健康这一全新研究领域是一个有趣的发现。然而，该研究也为重要研究领域的进一步研究提供了灵感。工作场所社会资本可从横向（即与同事的社会联系和信任程度）和纵向（即跨越权力梯度与雇主/主管的关系）两个维度进行调查。工作场所社会资本可能影响工作之外的社会资本，反之亦然，这一事实也值得关注。在多层次研究中正确定义和识别社会背景层面也很重要。在库沃宁等人的研究中，社会背景不是一个地理实体，而是根据工作地点定义的实体，而这种社会背景的定义存在若干困难。这项研究呈现了有趣的发现，并为未来研究提供了基础。
