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Healthcare
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Social Capital, Mental Health and Well-Being among Marginalized Communities
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Social Capital, Mental Health and Well-Being among Marginalized Communities

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Assessments".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 2910

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bishwajit Ghose

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Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A1, Canada
Interests: global health; health inequality; urbanization; community health programs
Dr. Josephine Etowa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A1, Canada
Interests: health outcomes; community health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In today's interconnected world, the concept of social capital is gaining increasing attention in understanding the dynamics of health and quality of life outcomes, among many others. Social capital refers to the networks, norms, and trust within a community that facilitate cooperation and collaboration among individuals and groups. Individuals with strong social networks often enjoy better physical health outcomes, experience higher levels of subjective well-being, and have greater access to resources and support systems when facing challenges. However, social capital can also contribute to social marginalization when networks and norms exclude certain groups or individuals.

To this regard, we are pleased to announce a Special Issue on "Social Capital, Mental Health and Well-Being among Marginalized Communities". We invite original and review studies that examine the role of living environments, social networks, social support, and social cohesion in promoting mental health and well-being. By bringing attention to this important topic, we hope to promote the development of effective interventions and programs that can improve mental health and well-being for all. 

The Special Issue aims to explore the relationship between social capital and mental health outcomes among marginalized groups, e.g., those living in low-income neighbourhoods, ethnic and racial minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, refugees, etc.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Bishwajit Ghose
Dr. Josephine Etowa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • social capital
  • social networks
  • social support
  • mental health
  • well-being
  • marginalized communities

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 521 KiB  
Article
The Intersection of Sexual Orientation, Substance Use, and Mental Health: Findings from Hints 5
by Saredo M. Bouraleh and Bishwajit Ghose
Healthcare 2024, 12(20), 2083; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12202083 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 654
Abstract
Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate (1) the association of tobacco and e-cigarette use with sexual orientation (LGBTQ and heterosexual individuals) and (2) the difference in the association of tobacco and e-cigarette use with self-reported depression by sexual orientation. Methods: The [...] Read more.
Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate (1) the association of tobacco and e-cigarette use with sexual orientation (LGBTQ and heterosexual individuals) and (2) the difference in the association of tobacco and e-cigarette use with self-reported depression by sexual orientation. Methods: The data for this study were obtained from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5, Cycle 4). Sample participants included 3583 adults (93.87% heterosexuals). We used multinomial regression to measure the relative risk ratios (RRRs) of being a former and current user versus never a user of tobacco and e-cigarettes and binomial regression to measure the odds ratios of depression between the LGBTQ and heterosexuals. Results: Current smoking prevalence is higher among LGBTQ participants (17.3%) compared to heterosexuals (11.0%). The disparity is even greater for e-cigarette use, with 7.3% of LGBTQ participants being current users versus 2.8% of heterosexuals and 24.5% of LGBTQ participants being former users compared to 9.3% of heterosexuals. Compared to heterosexuals, the relative risk ratio of being a current tobacco user among the LGBTQ participants was about 1.75 times higher [RRR = 1.75, 95%CI = 1.16, 2.64], and that of e-cigarette use was about 2.8 times higher [RRR = 2.81, 95%CI = 1.57, 5.05]. Among current e-cigarette users, heterosexual participants had 1.9 percentage points [risk difference = 1.94, 95%CI = 1.20, 3.13] higher probability of depression, whereas among the LGBTQ participants, the risk was about 3.7 times higher [OR = 3.67, 95%CI = 1.06, 12.74]. Conclusions: Our findings conclude that the LGBTQ are more likely to use tobacco and e-cigarettes compared to heterosexuals and that the risk of depression from e-cigarette smoking is more pronounced among the LGBTQ participants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Mental Health and Well-Being among Marginalized Communities)
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13 pages, 827 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms and Its Correlates among Male Medical Students at the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia
by Abdullah M. Alshahrani, Mohammad S. Al-Shahrani, Elhadi Miskeen, Muffarah Hamid Alharthi, Mohannad Mohammad S. Alamri, Mohammed A. Alqahtani and Mutasim E. Ibrahim
Healthcare 2024, 12(6), 640; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12060640 - 12 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1688
Abstract
Background: Identifying the potential factors of depression among medical students is the first step towards academic excellence and future safe medical practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020 at the University of Bisha, College of Medicine (UBCOM), [...] Read more.
Background: Identifying the potential factors of depression among medical students is the first step towards academic excellence and future safe medical practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020 at the University of Bisha, College of Medicine (UBCOM), Bisha Province, Saudi Arabia. Male medical students from year one to year six were involved. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data about students’ socio-demographic and academic characteristics. The Arabic version of the PHQ-9 scale with a score of ≥10 was used to identify depression. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the prevalence and correlates of depression. Results: Of the 190 male students enrolled, 26.8% had depressive symptoms, of whom 45.1% were experiencing moderate to severe symptoms. The significantly highest depression rate was found among the second-year students, at 43.8% (OR = 2.544; 95% CI 1.178–5.714; p = 0.018), and the lowest rate was found among year one students, at 8.9% (OR = 0.203; 95% CI 0.075–0.560; p = 0.002). Univariate regression revealed a significant correlation between depression and dissatisfaction with family income, loss of family members, having psychological illness, difficulties in personal relationships, regretting studying medicine, failure in an academic year, a lower grade than expected, conflict with tutors, lack of college facilities and heavy academic load. In multivariate analysis, loss of family members (AOR = 3.69; 95% CI 1.86–7.413), difficulties in personal relationships (AOR = 2.371; 95% CI 1.009–5.575), regretting studying medicine (AOR = 3.764; 95% CI 1.657–8.550), and failing an academic year (AOR = 2.559; 95% CI 1.112–5.887) were independently correlated with depression. Conclusions: The study concluded that medical students at UBCOM experience depressive symptoms associated with various risk indicators. Optimizing the educational and social environment and infrastructure facilities at UBCOM might promote students’ mental health and well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Capital, Mental Health and Well-Being among Marginalized Communities)
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