THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL CAPITAL AND WORKERS' MENTAL HEALTH IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA

Against the backdrop of evolving work patterns and social structures in contemporary society, workers' mental health faces sustained challenges. As an important socio-psychological resource, the protective role of social capital warrants continuous examination. This study aims to empirically examine the relationship between social capital and its different dimensions (social networks, social trust, and reciprocity) and the mental health of Chinese workers using nationally representative data, and to explore its heterogeneity across different income groups.

This study employed a cross-sectional research design, with data sourced from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2022. The study participants were the working-age population aged 16 to 65. The dependent variable, mental health, was measured using the Center for Epidemiological Survey Depression Scale (CESD) Short Scale; higher scores indicated better mental health. The independent variable, social capital, was operationalized into three dimensions: social network, social trust, and reciprocity. Standardized scores for each dimension were generated through exploratory factor analysis. Control variables included income level, social status, education level, age, marital status, and household registration status. Statistical analysis employed descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, and income level-based group heterogeneity analysis. Prior to regression analysis, Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) diagnostics were performed for all independent variables in the full models to assess potential multicollinearity. All VIF values were well below the conservative threshold of 5, indicating no severe multicollinearity that would bias the regression estimates.

The study found that, after controlling for relevant variables, social capital had a significant positive correlation with workers' mental health (β=0.317, p<0.01). Dimensional analysis further revealed that social trust (β=0.342, p<0.001) and social networks (β=0.218, p<0.01) showed significant positive associations with mental health, whereas no significant association was found for reciprocity. Heterogeneity analysis showed that the protective effect of social capital varied significantly across income levels. For low-income groups, social trust (β=0.452, p<0.001) and reciprocity (β=0.174, p<0.05) exhibited stronger protective effects; while for high-income groups, social networks (β=0.241, p<0.01) played a relatively prominent role.

In conclusion, this study demonstrates that social capital is a key protective factor for workers' mental health in contemporary China, with social trust and social networks playing a particularly crucial role. Furthermore, social capital exhibits a stronger "compensatory effect" on the mental health of low-income workers. This provides important empirical evidence for developing targeted public health interventions from a social capital perspective to promote workforce mental health and reduce health inequalities.