Social capital and the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents

Social capital is a term used to define social resources which can facilitate positive outcomes with respect to a broad range of phenomena. Despite considerable debate about its definition and measurement, there is general agreement that social capital is an ‘asset’ which has the potential to link and explain factors that influence both health and wellbeing.

Commissioned to the Institute of Applied Health Research, Glasgow Caledonian University, this report presents results from a systematic review of the literature on the role and impact of social capital on the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. The focus of the review is on intra- and inter-familial relationships, that is, interactions within families (family social capital) and between families and their local communities (community social capital) and how these influence the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.

Appendices are also available as part of this report: The Role and Impact of Social Capital on the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents: a systematic review. Appendices