Personal Social Capital Scale: an instrument for health and behavioral research

Abstract

The concept of social capital has drawn much attention in social and behavioral epidemiology and health education research. The purpose of this study is to develop the 'Personal Social Capital Scale' for quantitative survey studies of social factors that are related to health and behavior. The instrument contained 10 composite items based on 42 items for assessing personally owned social capital, including bonding and bridging capitals. The instrument was assessed using cross-sectional survey data collected among 128 participants (64 women) with a participation rate of 95%. Results from correlation and confirmatory factor analysis indicated adequate reliability and internal consistency. The mean score of the scale was 25.9 (SD = 5.2) for total social capital, 15.2 (SD = 3.0) for bonding social capital and 10.8 (SD = 3.4) for bridging social capital. The scale scores significantly predicted a number of theoretically related factors, including people skills, being sociable, social capital investment, informational support, instrumental support, emotional support and collective efficacy. This instrument provides a new tool for cross-cultural research to assess personally owned social capital.