Religion and Identity: The Role of Ideological,Social, and Spiritual Contexts

Existing research demonstrates a positive relation between religion and identity among adolescents. A conceptual framework is presented suggesting that religion provides a distinct setting for identity exploration and commitment through offering ideological, social, and spiritual contexts. It is then suggested that the religious context promotes a sense of identity that transcends the self and promotes a concern for the social good and that religious institutions provide unique settings for adolescent identity formation. In addition to the potential developmental benefits of religion, negative consequences on identity development are considered. Finally, recommendations for empirical study are suggested.     

Against Culture: Development, Politics, and Religion in Indian Alaska

Against Culture: Development, Politics, and Religion in Indian Alaska. Kirk Dombrowski. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2001. 247 pp.     

社会资本在健康管理产业中的作用及发展策略分析

社会资本已成为我国医疗卫生事业的重要参与力量，其积极参与健康管理产业服务，对促进我国健康产业的整体发展具有重要的促进作用。本文论述了当前社会资本在我国健康管理产业中具备的四个重要作用，并提出了向高端健康管理服务拓展、承担基本健康管理服务、进行公私健康管理合营和发展专科化健康管理4种发展策略。     

Social Capital,Collective Action and Group Formation: Developmental Trajectories in Post-socialist Mongolia

Group formation, social capital and collective action have been the focus of much recent attention amongst donors and policy makers. Optimistic scenarios highlight their contributions to poverty reduction and effective natural resource management. However, recent critiques have focused on the exclusionary potential or ‘dark side’ of groups and social capital. Not only are their longer term livelihood impacts unclear, but lacunae persist in our understanding of how social capital, especially trust, is built. This paper presents a longitudinal evaluation of trust, collective action and cooperation among herders in post-Soviet Mongolia in the context of recent donor projects. Results highlight the important catalytic effect of external interventions in overcoming a lack of trust and promoting formalised collective action, but only in the context of a particular conjunction of circumstances. Indications for livelihood outcomes confirm the differentiated benefits, exclusionary potential and fragility of social capital and new institutional forms.

Religion and Social Structure in The Division of Labor

The article offers a thoroughgoing reinterpretation of The Division of Labor, focusing on the six-stage theory of sociocultural change that lies in the background of Durkheim's well-known contrast between the ideal types of mechanical and organic solidarity. Durkheim's characterization of each stage is described in terms of its structural-functional differentiation and religious unity. The Division's evolutionary theory, which underlies much of Durkheim's mature work, is criticized for its dated ethnographic evidence, and contrasted with alternative evolutionary proposals, including that of sociobiology.     

Development and Validation of a Social Capital Questionnaire for Adolescent Students (SCQ-AS)

Objectives

Social capital has been studied due to its contextual influence on health. However, no specific assessment tool has been developed and validated for the measurement of social capital among 12-year-old adolescent students. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a quick, simple assessment tool to measure social capital among adolescent students.

Methods

A questionnaire was developed based on a review of relevant literature. For such, searches were made of the Scientific Electronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, The Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Knowledge, International Database for Medical Literature and PubMed Central bibliographical databases from September 2011 to January 2014 for papers addressing assessment tools for the evaluation of social capital. Focus groups were also formed by adolescent students as well as health, educational and social professionals. The final assessment tool was administered to a convenience sample from two public schools (79 students) and one private school (22 students), comprising a final sample of 101 students. Reliability and internal consistency were evaluated using the Kappa coefficient and Cronbach''s alpha coefficient, respectively. Content validity was determined by expert consensus as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results

The final version of the questionnaire was made up of 12 items. The total scale demonstrated very good internal consistency (Cronbach''s alpha: 0.71). Reproducibility was also very good, as the Kappa coefficient was higher than 0.72 for the majority of items (range: 0.63 to 0.97). Factor analysis grouped the 12 items into four subscales: School Social Cohesion, School Friendships, Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Trust (school and neighborhood).

Conclusions

The present findings indicate the validity and reliability of the Social Capital Questionnaire for Adolescent Students.     

Workplace Social Capital and Mental Health among Chinese Employees: A Multi-Level,Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Whereas the majority of previous research on social capital and health has been on residential neighborhoods and communities, the evidence remains sparse on workplace social capital. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the association between workplace social capital and health status among Chinese employees in a large, multi-level, cross-sectional study.

Methods

By employing a two-stage stratified random sampling procedure, 2,796 employees were identified from 35 workplaces in Shanghai during March to November 2012. Workplace social capital was assessed using a validated and psychometrically tested eight-item measure, and the Chinese language version of the WHO-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) was used to assess mental health. Control variables included sex, age, marital status, education level, occupation status, smoking status, physical activity, and job stress. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore whether individual- and workplace-level social capital was associated with mental health status.

Results

In total, 34.9% of workers reported poor mental health (WHO-5<13). After controlling for individual-level socio-demographic and lifestyle variables, compared to workers with the highest quartile of personal social capital, workers with the third, second, and lowest quartiles exhibited 1.39 to 3.54 times greater odds of poor mental health, 1.39 (95% CI: 1.10–1.75), 1.85 (95% CI: 1.38–2.46) and 3.54 (95% CI: 2.73–4.59), respectively. Corresponding odds ratios for workplace-level social capital were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.61–1.49), 1.14 (95% CI: 0.72–1.81) and 1.63 (95% CI: 1.05–2.53) for the third, second, and lowest quartiles, respectively.

Conclusions

Higher workplace social capital is associated with lower odds of poor mental health among Chinese employees. Promoting social capital at the workplace may contribute to enhancing employees’ mental health in China.