Too unwell to trust? The effect of mental health on social trust in Europe.

Economics and Human Biology
Punarjit Roychowdhury

Abstract

Social trust is often thought to be adversely affected by mental health problems. However, rigorous causal evidence required to substantiate this thought is scarce. Here I examine the causal effect of individuals' mental health on social trust using data from the European Social Survey. Estimating the causal effect, however, is a formidable task since the relationship between mental health and social trust is endogenous due to reverse causality and unmeasured confounding. I circumvent these difficulties by using a recently developed econometric technique that does not rely on valid exclusion restriction for identification. I find strong evidence that mental ill health has a significant negative effect on social trust. Further, I provide suggestive evidence which shows that the adverse effect of mental ill health on social trust arises due to reductions in individuals' level of optimism and hope, and participation in social networks caused by mental ill health. Overall, the results suggest that for achieving a durable increase in social trust - which often is one of the fundamental objectives of policy makers - interventions to promote mental health of individuals could be extremely useful.

References

Apr 1, 1991·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·C R SnyderP Harney
Mar 30, 2000·Sports Medicine·S A Paluska, T L Schwenk
Sep 14, 2002·The British Journal of Sociology·Helmut Anheier, Jeremy Kendall
Aug 1, 2006·The American Journal of Psychiatry·Seena Fazel, Martin Grann
Oct 13, 2006·Social Science & Medicine·Winnie YipIchiro Kawachi
Mar 12, 2008·Journal of Psychiatric Research·Joshua BreslauRonald C Kessler
Jun 19, 2008·Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health·T Fujiwara, I Kawachi
Sep 11, 2008·The British Journal of Sociology·Yaojun LiAlan Warde
Mar 29, 2011·Social Science & Medicine·Giuseppe Nicola Giordano, Martin Lindström
Jul 26, 2011·Journal of Health Economics·Pinka ChatterjiDavid Takeuchi
Apr 28, 2012·Social Science & Medicine·Giuseppe Nicola GiordanoMartin Lindström
Jun 19, 2012·Social Indicators Research·Mariska van der Horst, Hilde Coffé
Jan 26, 2013·Social Science Research·April K Clark, Marie A Eisenstein
May 15, 2013·Health Economics·Lorenzo RoccoMarc Suhrcke
Feb 6, 2014·Social Science & Medicine·Carlos Javier Riumallo-HerlMauricio Avendano
Mar 19, 2014·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Charles S Carver, Michael F Scheier
Jul 26, 2014·Health Economics·Paul FrijtersMichael A Shields
Mar 26, 2015·Economics and Human Biology·Damiano Fiorillo, Fabio Sabatini
Nov 8, 2015·Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health·Giuseppe Nicola Giordano, Martin Lindström
Jun 7, 2016·World Psychiatry : Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)·Stuart Biddle
Jun 10, 2016·Economics and Human Biology·Kelly NoonanNancy E Reichman
Apr 25, 2018·The American Journal of Psychiatry·Felipe B SchuchBrendon Stubbs

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.