Is Informal Financial Aid Good for Health? Evidence from Kyrgyzstan, a Low-Income Post-Socialist Nation in Eurasia. Issue 4 (28th August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Urbaeva, Jildyz; Jackson, Theodore; Park, Daejun
• Is Part Of: Health & social work. Volume 43:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 226
• Page End: 234
• Publication Date: 2018-08-28
• Subjects: cross-level interactions -- individual and neighborhood social capital -- informal financial aid -- post-socialist Eurasian nations -- social capital and health; Medical social work -- Periodicals; Medical social work -- United States -- Periodicals; Medical care -- Periodicals; 362.10425
• DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hly021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-7283

Abstract

Abstract: The importance of social capital and economic advantage for health is well established in literature. The relationship between health and social capital through informal financial aid is less understood. Using representative data ( N = 7, 474), authors explored an association between informal financial aid and health satisfaction in Kyrgyzstan, a post-socialist low-income country in Eurasia. Multilevel modeling revealed significant associations between informal aid and health. Cross-level interactions between individual and neighborhood financial aid were also significantly associated with health satisfaction. The results suggest that (a) social capital is influenced by socioeconomic status of the person, and (b) paths between informal aid and health vary among individuals at different levels of socioeconomic structure. Authors conclude the article with a discussion of the implications for social work practice and policy to improve health outcomes for disadvantaged individuals.