COMMUNICATIVE SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH: EVIDENCE FROM A NARRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

: Communicative social capital (CSC) is the trust, information, and shared problem-solving skills that people gain from participating in community communication networks. Recently, more attention has been paid to CSC as a factor that shapes population health. This paper reviews recent research on how CSC affects health outcomes across different groups and contexts. It also explains important ideas, research methods, and gaps. The review describes how Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT) helps us understand CSC, and explores how the ways people connect matter for health. CSC works in several ways: by sharing information that supports health literacy, building trust that helps people get care when they need it, and encouraging community members to work together when problems arise. This review shows how these factors influence access to care, health knowledge, mental health, and the ability to bounce back from tough situations. Looking at 50 studies, the review finds that people with higher CSC generally report better self-rated health, greater mental well-being, more preventive care, and stronger community resilience during public health challenges (Hall et al., 2023). However, these effects depend on context and fairness and can sometimes be negative, as when close networks exclude others or spread harmful behaviors. This paper concludes by identifying gaps in the research and considers the implications of these findings for policy and future studies.