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Measuring social capital : The development of the Social Capital and Cohesion Scale and the associations between social capital and mental health
Magson, Natasha R. Craven, Rhonda G. Bodkin-Andrews, Gawaian
Magson, Natasha R.
Craven, Rhonda G.
Bodkin-Andrews, Gawaian
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Abstract
Over the last two decades, social capital has received increasing attention in the international literature. Despite the popularity of the construct, problems concerning definition, theoretical conceptualisation, and measurement continue to plague research and policy in this area. This investigation aimed to address this gap by developing a new social capital instrument to test the theorised nature of the construct. Utilising a sample of 1371 young Australians living in disadvantaged communities, the newly developed Social Capital and Cohesion Scale (SCCS) combined the commonalities in the current theoretical conceptualisations of social capital defining it as a multi-level, multidimensional construct consisting of trust and reciprocity across family, peer, neighbour, and institutional networks. To test the convergent validity of the scale, relations with mental health were also examined. Confirmatory factor analysis results demonstrated that the SCCS was a valid and reliable multidimensional scale, which was invariant across both regional and gender groups. Correlational analysis demonstrated that associations with depression, anxiety, and stress were consistent with past research thereby strengthening the validity of the SCCS measure.
Keywords
Date
2014
Type
Journal article
Journal
Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology
Book
Volume
14
Issue
Special Issue
Page Range
202-216
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Positive Psychology and Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
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Open Access Status
License
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Controlled