The relationship between social capital and self-rated health: A gendered analysis of 17 European countries

Background: Women live longer than men, but they report worse self-rated health. Using data from 17 European countries, we sought to test whether gender differences in social capital could account for the male/female gap in self-rated health. Methods: We used the first release of the 8th European Social Survey which includes information about individuals' social networks, participation in social groups, trust in institutions, and sense of belonging. Multilevel Poisson regression models were performed, regressing fair/poor self-rated health on social capital dimensions. Results: Stronger social integration was associated with lower prevalence of fair/poor health for both men and women, with the exception of religious involvement and meeting socially with relatives, friends or colleagues. For women, the presence of people with whom to discuss personal and intimate matters was protective for fair/ poor self-rated health (prevalence ratio: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97-1.00), whereas for men participation in political parties or action groups was most protective (PR 0.81; 95% CI: 0.73-0.90). When comparing across types of welfare state regimes, citizens of Eastern European countries reported lower levels of participation in social activities, institutional trust and sense of belonging. Conclusion: We observed gender differences in the specific dimensions of social capital that were correlated with self-rated health. However social capital did not explain the gender gap in fair/poor self-rated health.