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Social capital and reported discrimination among people with depression in 15 European countries

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Abstract

Purpose

Social capital is a protective factor for mental health. People with depression are vulnerable to discrimination and its damaging impact. No previous studies have explored the link between social capital and experienced or anticipated discrimination in people with depression. This study aims to test the hypothesis that levels of self-reported discrimination in people with depression are inversely associated with social capital levels.

Method

A total of 434 people with major depression recruited in outpatient settings across 15 European countries participated in the study. Multivariable regression was used to analyse relationships between discrimination and interpersonal and institutional trust, social support and social network.

Results

Significant inverse association was found between discrimination and social capital in people with major depression. Specifically, people with higher levels of social capital were less likely to have elevated or substantially elevated levels of experienced discrimination.

Conclusions

Higher level of social capital may be closely associated with lower level of experienced discrimination among patients with major depression. It is important to explore these associations more deeply and to establish possible directions of causality in order to identify interventions that may promote social capital and reduce discrimination. This may permit greater integration in society and more access to important life opportunities for people with depression.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by the European Union in the framework of the Public Health Programme.

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Policlinico “G.B. Rossi”, P.le Scuro, 10, 37134, Verona, Italy

    Silvia Zoppei, Antonio Lasalvia & Chiara Bonetto

  2. Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Tine Van Bortel

  3. Mental Health Promotion Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Vaasa, Finland

    Fredrica Nyqvist & Esa Aromaa

  4. Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York, York, UK

    Martin Webber

  5. Kenniscentrum Phrenos, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Jaap Van Weeghel

  6. TRANZO Department, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Jaap Van Weeghel

  7. Unit of Psychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Mariangela Lanfredi

  8. Awakenings Foundation, Budapest, Hungary

    Judit Harangozó

  9. The Finnish Association for Mental Health, Helsinki, Finland

    Kristian Wahlbeck

  10. Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London, UK

    Graham Thornicroft

Authors
  1. Silvia Zoppei
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  2. Antonio Lasalvia
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  3. Chiara Bonetto
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  4. Tine Van Bortel
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  5. Fredrica Nyqvist
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  6. Martin Webber
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  7. Esa Aromaa
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  8. Jaap Van Weeghel
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  9. Mariangela Lanfredi
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  10. Judit Harangozó
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  11. Kristian Wahlbeck
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  12. Graham Thornicroft
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Consortia

the ASPEN Study Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Silvia Zoppei.

Additional information

Please see the “Appendix” section for the ASPEN Study Group.

The EU Public Health Agency had no further role in study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

Electronic supplementary material

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Supplementary material 1 (DOC 14 kb)

Appendix: The ASPEN Study Group

Appendix: The ASPEN Study Group

Staff at coordinating centres

Graham Thornicroft, Tine Van Bortel, Samantha Treacy, Elaine Brohan, Shuntaro Ando, Diana Rose (King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, England); Kristian Wahlbeck, Esa Aromaa, Johanna Nordmyr, Fredrica Nyqvist, Carolina Herberts (National Institute for Health and Welfare, Vaasa, Finland); Oliver Lewis, Jasna Russo, Dorottya Karsay, Rea Maglajlic (Mental Disability Advocacy Centre, Budapest, Hungary); Antonio Lasalvia, Silvia Zoppei, Doriana Cristofalo, Chiara Bonetto (Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy); Isabella Goldie, Lee Knifton, Neil Quinn (Mental Health Foundation, Glasgow, Scotland); Norman Sartorius (Association for the improvement of mental health programmes (AMH), Geneva, Switzerland).

Staff at partner centres

Chantal Van Audenhove, Gert Scheerder, Else Tambuyzer (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Belgium; Valentina Hristakeva, Dimitar Germanov (Global Initiative on Psychiatry Sofia (GIP-Sofia), Bulgaria); Jean Luc Roelandt, Simon Vasseur Bacle, Nicolas Daumerie, Aude Caria (Etablissement Public Santé Mentale Lille-Métropole (EPSM/C.C.OMS, France); Harald Zaske, Wolfgang Gaebel (Heinrich-Heine Universitat Dusseldorf, Rheinische Kliniken Dusseldorf (RKD), Germany); Marina Economou, Eleni Louki, Lily Peppou, Klio Geroulanou (University Mental Health Institute (UMHRI (EPIPSI), Greece); Judit Harangozo, Julia Sebes, Gabor Csukly (Awakenings Foundation (AWF), Hungary); Giuseppe Rossi, Mariangela Lanfredi, Laura Pedrini (Unit of Psychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli Brescia, Italy); Arunas Germanavicius, Natalja Markovskaja, Vytis Valantinas (Vilnius University (VU), Lithuania); Jaap van Weeghel, Jenny Boumans, Eleonoor Willemsen, Annette Plooy (Stichting Kenniscentrum Phrenos (KcP), Netherlands); Teresa Duarte, Fatima Jorge Monteiro (Associação para o Estudo e Integração Psicossocial (AEIPS), Portugal); Janka Hurova, Dita Leczova (Association for Mental Health INTEGRA, o. z. (Integra o.z.), Slovakia); Vesna Svab, Nina Konecnik (University Psychiatric Hospital (PKL), Slovenia); Alp Ucok, Gulsah Karaday (Foundation of Psychiatry Clinic of Medical Faculty of Istanbul (PAP), Turkey).

This publication arises from the project Anti Stigma Programme European Network (ASPEN) which has received funding from the European Union in the framework of the Public Health Programme. GT is a member of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust/Institute of Psychiatry (King’s College London) and receives support for an Applied Research Programme from the National Institute for Health Research, UK. All opinions expressed are those of the authors. GT is an Honorary Professor at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban. TVB is affiliated with University of Cambridge and King’s College London, UK. KW, FN, EA and CH are affiliated with the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Vaasa, Finland. Full details of the ASPEN Project Group are given at www.antistigma.eu.

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Zoppei, S., Lasalvia, A., Bonetto, C. et al. Social capital and reported discrimination among people with depression in 15 European countries. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 1589–1598 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0856-6

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