Abstract
Background: Depressive symptoms are the most prominent mental health concerns among the elderly. Sociologists and social epidemiologists have observed that social cohesion reflects local resources, such as the supply of instrumental support to neighbors, civic participation, reciprocity norms, and social bonds. At the same time, it fosters mutual trust and support, collective efficacy, and a sense of belonging, all of which contribute to better mental health. This study aimed to estimate the effect of social cohesion on depression in the elderly.
Subjects and Method: This was a meta-analysis conducted with research questions formulated in the PICO format. Population: Elderly. Intervention: Strong social cohesion. Comparison: Weak social cohesion. Outcome: Depression. PubMed, Nature, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched for published studies from 2013 to 2018. Keywords used to obtain articles were “social cohesion’’ OR “social capital” AND “depression” AND elderly. Data of adjusted odds ratio were extracted to RevMan 5.3.
Results: The meta-analysis included 6 cross-sectional studies from Japan, China, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States, and Canada. The total sample was 24,844 elderly. Strong social cohesion reduced the risk of depression in the elderly (aOR= 0.75; 95% CI= 0.55 to 1.04; p=0.09). The heterogeneity of effect estimates across studies was high (I2= 92%; p<0.001), so the pooled extracted odds ratio was calculated by the random effect model approach. The funnel plot indicated a slight overestimate bias.
Conclusion: Strong social cohesion reduces the risk of depression in the elderly.
Keywords: social cohesion, depression, elderly.
Correspondence:
Alifia Nadhimah Putri. Master’s Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia. Email: alifiaputri2808@gmail.com. Mobile: +6281379972161.
Article Data
