Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2006

Open Access 01-12-2006 | Research article

Psychometric evaluation of a short measure of social capital at work

Authors: Anne Kouvonen, Mika Kivimäki, Jussi Vahtera, Tuula Oksanen, Marko Elovainio, Tom Cox, Marianna Virtanen, Jaana Pentti, Sara J Cox, Richard G Wilkinson

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2006

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Prior studies on social capital and health have assessed social capital in residential neighbourhoods and communities, but the question whether the concept should also be applicable in workplaces has been raised. The present study reports on the psychometric properties of an 8-item measure of social capital at work.

Methods

Data were derived from the Finnish Public Sector Study (N = 48,592) collected in 2000–2002. Based on face validity, an expert unfamiliar with the data selected 8 questionnaire items from the available items for a scale of social capital. Reliability analysis included tests of internal consistency, item-total correlations, and within-unit (interrater) agreement by r wg index. The associations with theoretically related and unrelated constructs were examined to assess convergent and divergent validity (construct validity). Criterion-related validity was explored with respect to self-rated health using multilevel logistic regression models. The effects of individual level and work unit level social capital were modelled on self-rated health.

Results

The internal consistency of the scale was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88). The r wg index was 0.88, which indicates a significant within-unit agreement. The scale was associated with, but not redundant to, conceptually close constructs such as procedural justice, job control, and effort-reward imbalance. Its associations with conceptually more distant concepts, such as trait anxiety and magnitude of change in work, were weaker. In multilevel models, significantly elevated age adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of poor self-rated health (OR = 2.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.24–2.61 for the women and OR = 2.99, 95% CI: 2.56–3.50 for the men) were observed for the employees in the lowest vs. highest quartile of individual level social capital. In addition, low social capital at the work unit level was associated with a higher likelihood of poor self-rated health.

Conclusion

Psychometric techniques show our 8-item measure of social capital to be a valid tool reflecting the construct and displaying the postulated links with other variables.
Literature
1.
Putnam RD: Making Democracy Work. Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. 1993, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 167-
2.
Kawachi I: Social capital and community effects on population and individual health. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1999, 896: 120-130. 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08110.x.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Shortt SED: Making sense of social capital, health and policy. Health Policy. 2004, 70: 11-22. 10.1016/j.healthpol.2004.01.007.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Coleman JS: Social capital in the creation of human capital. Am J Sociol. 1990, 95-120. Suppl
5.
Portes A: Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Ann Rev Sociol. 1998, 22: 1-24. 10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.1.CrossRef
6.
Kawachi I, Kim D, Coutts A, Subramanian SV: Commentary: Reconciling the three accounts of social capital. Int J Epidemiol. 2004, 33: 682-690. 10.1093/ije/dyh177.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Harpham T, Grant E, Thomas E: Measuring social capital within health surveys: key issues. Health Policy Plan. 2002, 17: 106-111. 10.1093/heapol/17.1.106.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Subramanian SV, Lochner K, Kawachi I: Neighbourhood differences in social capital: a compositional artifact or a contextual construct?. Health and Place. 2003, 9: 33-44. 10.1016/S1353-8292(02)00028-X.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Szreter S, Woolcock M: Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health. Int J Epidemiol. 2004, 33: 650-667. 10.1093/ije/dyh013.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Wilkinson RG: The Impact of Inequality: How to make sick societies healthier. 2005, New York, London: The New Press, 33-56.
11.
Putnam RD: Commentary: 'Health by association': some comments. Int J Epidemiol. 2003, 33: 667-671. 10.1093/ije/dyh204.CrossRef
12.
Ziersch AM, Baum FE, MacDougall C, Putland C: Neighbourhood life and social capital: the implications for health. Soc Sci Med. 2005, 60: 71-86. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.04.027.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Poortinga W: Social capital: An individual or collective resource for health. Soc Sci Med. 2006, 62: 292-302. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.06.008.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Kim D, Subramanian SV, Kawachi I: Bonding versus bridging social capital and their associations with self rated health: a multilevel analysis of 40 US communities. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006, 60: 116-122. 10.1136/jech.2005.038281.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
15.
Sundquist K, Yang M: Linking social capital and self-rated health: A multilevel analysis of 11,175 men and women in Sweden. Health and Place. 2006, Mar 31,
16.
17.
Skrabski A, Kopp M, Kawachi I: Social capital in a changing society: cross sectional associations with middle aged female and male mortality rates. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003, 57: 114-119. 10.1136/jech.57.2.114.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
18.
19.
De Silva M, Harpham T, Tuan T, Bartolini R, Penny ME, Huttly SR: Psychometric and cognitive validation of social capital measurement tool in Peru and Vietnam. Soc Sci Med. 2006, 62: 941-953. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.06.050.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Veenstra G: Social capital, SES and health: an individual-level analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2000, 50: 619-629. 10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00307-X.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Mohan J, Twigg L, Barnard S, Jones K: Social capital, geography and health: a small-area analysis for England. Soc Sci Med. 2005, 60: 1267-1283. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.06.050.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Islam MK, Merlo J, Kawachi I, Lindström M, Gerdtham UG: Social capital and health: Does egalitarianism matter? A literature review. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2006, 5: 3-10.1186/1475-9276-5-3.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
23.
Macinko J, Starfield B: The utility of social capital in research on health determinants. Milbank Quaterly. 2001, 79: 387-427. 10.1111/1468-0009.00213.CrossRef
24.
Putnam R: Bowling Alone: The collapse and revival of American community. 2000, New York: Simon Schuster, 253-
25.
Stone W, Hughes J: Social capital: Empirical meaning and measurement validity. 2002, Research Paper nro 27. Australian Institute of Family Studies
26.
Kawachi I, Berkman L: Social cohesion, social capital, and health. Social epidemiology. Edited by: Berkman L, Kawachi I. 2000, New York: Oxford University Press, 174-190.
27.
28.
Chung LH, Gibbons PT: Corporate entrepreneurship: the roles of ideology and social capital. Group Organization Management. 1997, 22: 10-30.CrossRef
29.
Podolny JM, Baron JN: Resources and relationships: social networks and mobility in the workplace. Am Sociol Rev. 1997, 62: 673-693. 10.2307/2657354.CrossRef
30.
Gabbay SM, Zuckerman EW: Social capital and opportunity in corporate R&D: the contingent effect of contact density on mobility expectations. Soc Sci Res. 1998, 27: 189-217. 10.1006/ssre.1998.0620.CrossRef
31.
Moorman RH: Relationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviors: Do fairness perception influence employee citizenship?. J Appl Psychol. 1991, 76: 845-855. 10.1037/0021-9010.76.6.845.CrossRef
32.
Ala-Mursula L, Vahtera J, Linna A, Pentti J, Kivimäki M: Employee worktime control moderates the effects of job strain and effort-reward imbalance on sickness absence: the 10-Town study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005, 59: 851-857. 10.1136/jech.2004.030924.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
33.
Kivimäki M, Virtanen M, Vartia M, Elovainio M, Vahtera J, Keltikangas-Järvinen L: Workplace bullying and the risk of cardiovascular disease and depression. Occup Environ Med. 2003, 60: 779-783. 10.1136/oem.60.10.779.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
34.
Woolcock M, Narayan D: Social capital: implications for development theory, research, and policy. The World Bank Research Observer. 2000, 15: 225-249.CrossRef
35.
Spielberger CD, Gorsuch RL, Lushene R, Vagg PR, Jacobs GA: Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (form Y). 1983, Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press Inc
36.
Karasek R: Job Content Questionnaire and User's Guide. 1985, Revision 1.1. Los Angeles, CA: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern Los Angeles
37.
Karasek RA, Brisson C, Kawakami N, Houtman I, Bongers P, Amick B: The job content questionnaire (JCQ): an instrument for internationally comparative assessments of psychological job characteristics. J Occup Health Psychol. 1998, 3: 322-355. 10.1037/1076-8998.3.4.322.CrossRefPubMed
38.
Siegrist J, Starke D, Chandola T, Godin I, Marmot M, Niedhammer I, Peter R: The measurement of effort-reward imbalance at work: European comparisons. Soc Sci Med. 2004, 58: 1483-1499. 10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00351-4.CrossRefPubMed
39.
Kouvonen A, Kivimäki M, Virtanen M, Heponiemi T, Elovainio M, Pentti J, Linna A, Vahtera J: Effort-reward imbalance at work and the co-occurrence of lifestyle risk factors: cross-sectional survey in a sample of 36,127 public sector employees. BMC Public Health. 2006, 6: 24-10.1186/1471-2458-6-24.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
40.
Taris TW, Kalimo R, Schaufeli WB: Inequity at work: its measurement and association with worker health. Work Stress. 2003, 16: 287-301. 10.1080/0267837021000054500.CrossRef
41.
Idler EL, Benyamini Y: Self-rated health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies. J Health Soc Behav. 1997, 38: 21-37. 10.2307/2955359.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Nunnally JC, Bernstein IH: Psychometric Theory. 1978, New York: McGraw-Hill, 245-2
43.
James LR, Demaree RG, Wolf G: Estimating within-group interrater reliability with and without response bias. J Appl Psychol. 1984, 69: 85-98. 10.1037/0021-9010.69.1.85.CrossRef
44.
Lindell MK, Brandt CJ, Whitney DJ, Beach L: A revised index of interrater agreement for multi-item ratings of a single target. Applied Psychological Measurement. 1999, 23: 127-135. 10.1177/01466219922031257.CrossRef
45.
Merlo J, Chaix B, Yang M, Lynch J, Råstam L: A brief conceptual tutorial of multilevel analysis in social epidemiology: linking the statistical concept of clustering to the idea of contextual phenomenon. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005, 59: 443-449. 10.1136/jech.2004.023473.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
46.
Kennedy BP, Kawachi I, Brainerd E: The role of social capital in the Russian mortality crisis. World Development. 1998, 26: 2029-2043. 10.1016/S0305-750X(98)00094-1.CrossRef
47.
Liukkonen V, Virtanen P, Kivimäki M, Pentti J, Vahtera J: Social capital in working life and the health of employees. Soc Sci Med. 2004, 59: 2447-2568. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.04.013.CrossRefPubMed
48.
Lindström M, The Malmö Shoulder-Neck Study Group: Psychosocial work conditions, social participation and social capital: A causal pathway investigated in a longitudinal study. Soc Sci Med. 2006, 62: 280-291. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.06.005.CrossRefPubMed
49.
Kerlinger FN, Lee H: Foundations of Behavioral Research. 1999, Fort Worth: Harcourt College, 668-669.
50.
Grootaert C, Van Basteler T: Understanding and measuring social capital: a synthesis of findings and recommendations from the social capital initiative. Social capital initiative/Working Paper No 24. 2001, The World Bank, Social Development Family, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network
Metadata
Title
Psychometric evaluation of a short measure of social capital at work
Authors
Anne Kouvonen
Mika Kivimäki
Jussi Vahtera
Tuula Oksanen
Marko Elovainio
Tom Cox
Marianna Virtanen
Jaana Pentti
Sara J Cox
Richard G Wilkinson
Publication date
01-12-2006
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2006
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-6-251

Other articles of this Issue 1/2006

BMC Public Health 1/2006 Go to the issue

Research article

Support for immunization registries among parents of vaccinated and unvaccinated school-aged children: a case control study

Research article

Economic gains and health benefits from a new cigarette tax scheme in Taiwan: a simulation using the CGE model

Research article

Assessing effects of a media campaign on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in Nigeria: results from the VISION Project

Research article

Psychosocial and other working conditions in relation to body mass index in a representative sample of Australian workers

Research article

A knowledge, attitudes, and practice survey among obstetrician-gynaecologists on intimate partner violence in Flanders, Belgium

Research article

Carboxyhaemoglobin levels and their determinants in older British men