Social capital in chronic disease: an ethnographic study

Davide Costa, Michele Andreucci, Nicola Ielapi, Umberto Marcello Bracale, Raffaele Serra

Abstract


Chronically ill conditions are particularly difficult to manage because of their impact both on the social and on the corporal sphere to such an extent as to involve a series of problems that negatively alter the quality of life of affected patients. Chronicity has also a considerable ef-fect on social capital. In the current literature, it is known that social capital may contribute to a range of advantages to people health. Chronic Venous Disease (CVD) includes several pathologi-cal alterations of the venous system of the lower limbs that cause a wide range of symptoms and signs. The aim of this study is to explore, with a qualitative approach, the dynamics of social cap-ital within people's experience of CVD and describe the roles of family and friends and the health care system. The method used is based on face-to-face semistructured interviews was performed, following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist. Six-teen patients were included: 11 women and 5 men. The results obtained are completely in line with the current literature, which shows a certain difficulty in terms of daily activities, pain management; work-related difficulties; non-coverage of healthcare costs for medications and drugs prescribed. In the context of social capital, the bonding social capital of the patients inter-viewed was more positively perceived in the role of CVD management than by the patients' fami-lies. Another interesting result concerns the total absence of knowledge of patient associations with CVD. Thus, alongside the biographical destruction that CVD entails, there is evidence of the scarce relevance and presence of health policies capable of improving the quality of life of these people not only from a social and medical point of view but also from an economic point of view

Keywords


social capital, chronic venous disease, chronicity, qualitative study; ethnographic study; biographical disruption

Full Text:

PDF

References


Aldridge, S., Halpern, D., & Fitzpatrick, S. (2002). Social Capital: A Discussion Paper, Performance and Innovation Unit, London. Retrieved on the, 9.

Allegra C. (2003). Chronic venous insufficiency: the effects of health-care reforms on the cost of treatment and hospitalisation--an Italian perspective. Current medical research and opinion, 19(8), 761–769.

Almond, G., Verba, S. (1963), The Civic Culture, Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Banfield, E.G. (1958), The Moral Basis of a Backward Society, New York, Free Press.

Bazeley P, Jackson K.(2013). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo.

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York: Greenwood.

Brehm, J., Rahn, W. (1997), “Individual-Level evidence for the causes and consequences of Social Capital”, American Journal of Political Science, 41, 3, 999-1023.

Bury, M.R. (1982) Chronic illness as biographical disruption, Sociology of Health and Illness, 4, 2, 167±82.

Bury, M.R. (1991) The sociology of chronic illness: a review research and prospects, Sociology of Health and Illness, 13, 4, 451±68.

Cocksedge KA, Simon C, Shankar R. A. (2014). Difficult combination: chronic physical illness, depression, and pain. Br J Gen Pract., 64(626):440–1.

Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American journal of sociology, 94, S95-S120.

Costa, D., Ielapi, N., Minici, R., Bevacqua, E., Ciranni, S., Cristodoro, L., ... & Serra, R. (2023). Metalloproteinases between History, Health, Disease, and the Complex Dimension of Social Determinants of Health. Journal of Vascular Diseases, 2(3), 282-298.

Costa, D. (2023). Diversity and Health: Two Sides of the Same Coin. Italian Sociological Review, 13(1), 69–90.

Costa, D., Andreucci, M., Ielapi, N., Serraino, G. F., Mastroroberto, P., Bracale, U. M., & Serra, R. (2023). Molecular Determinants of Chronic Venous Disease: A Comprehensive Review. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(3), 1928.

Costa D.; Ielapi, N.; Bevacqua, E.; Ciranni, S.; Cristodoro, L.; Torcia, G.; Serra, R. (2023). Social Determinants of Health and Vascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Call for Action. Soc. Sci., 12, 214.

Craig, S. L., McInroy, L. B., Goulden, A., and Eaton, A. D. (2021). Engaging the senses in qualitative research via multimodal coding: Triangulating transcript, audio, and video data in a study with sexual and gender minority youth. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20, 16094069211013659.

Cravey, A. J., Washburn, S. A., Gesler, W. M., Arcury, T. A., & Skelly, A. H. (2001). Developing socio-spatial knowledge networks:: a qualitative methodology for chronic disease prevention. Social Science & Medicine, 52(12), 1763-1775.

Davies, A. H. (2019). The seriousness of chronic venous disease: a review of real-world evidence. Advances in therapy, 36(Suppl 1), 5-12.

De Maeseneer, M. G., Kakkos, S. K., Aherne, T., Baekgaard, N., Black, S., Blomgren, L., ... & ESVS Guidelines Committee. (2022). Editor's choice–European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2022 clinical practice guidelines on the management of chronic venous disease of the lower limbs. European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, 63(2), 184-267.

Dudwick, N., Kuehnast, K., Jones, V. N., and Woolcock, M. (2006). Analyzing social capital in context. A guide to using qualitative methods and data, 1, 46.

Foster, G., Taylor, S. J., Eldridge, S. E., Ramsay, J., & Griffiths, C. J. (2007). Self-management education programmes by lay leaders for people with chronic conditions. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (4), CD005108.

Gerontoukou E-I, Michaelidoy S, Rekleiti M, Saridi M, Souliotis K.(2015). Investigation of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic diseases. Health Psychol Res., 3(2):2123.

Gittel, R., Vidal, A. (1998), Community Organizing: Building Social Capital As A Development Strategy, Newbury Park, California, Sage Publications.

Glaser BG. (1965). The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Soc Probl.12(4):436–45.

Granovetter, M. (1973), The Strength Of Weak Ties, in American Journal of Sociology, 78, pp. 1360-80.

Granovetter, M. (1985), Economic Action And Social Structure: The Problem Of Embeddedness, in American Journal of Sociology,91-481-510.

Guest G, Bunce A, Johnson L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods.18(1):59–82.

Hooghe, M. (2003), “Participation in Voluntary Associations and Value Indicators”, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. Vol. 32, No. 1: 47-69.

Jonas, A. B., Young, A. M., Oser, C. B., Leukefeld, C. G., & Havens, J. R. (2012). OxyContin® as currency: OxyContin® use and increased social capital among rural Appalachian drug users. Social science & medicine, 74(10), 1602-1609.

Kawachi, I., Subramanian, S.V. and Kim D. (2008). Social Capital and Health. Springer New York, NY.

Kim Y, Png CYM, Sumpio BJ, DeCarlo CS, Dua A. Defining the human and health care costs of chronic venous insufficiency. Semin Vasc Surg. 2021 Mar;34(1):59-64. doi: 10.1053/j.semvascsurg.2021.02.007. Epub 2021 Feb 3. PMID: 33757637.

Kim, D., Subramanian, S. V., Gortmaker, S. L., & Kawachi, I. (2006). US state-and county-level social capital in relation to obesity and physical inactivity: a multilevel, multivariable analysis. Social science & medicine, 63(4), 1045-1059.

Labropoulos, N., Gasparis, A. P., Pefanis, D., Leon, L. R., Jr, & Tassiopoulos, A. K. (2009). Secondary chronic venous disease progresses faster than primary. Journal of vascular surgery, 49(3), 704–710.

Leaviss, J., Davis, S., Ren, S., Hamilton, J., Scope, A., Booth, A., Sutton, A., Parry, G., Buszewicz, M., Moss-Morris, R., & White, P. (2020). Behavioural modification interventions for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: systematic reviews and economic evaluation. Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), 24(46), 1–490.

Leonardi, R., Nanetti, R. Y., & Putnam, R. D. (2001). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton, NJ, USA:: Princeton university press.

Lurie, F., Passman, M., Meisner, M., Dalsing, M., Masuda, E., Welch, H., Bush, R. L., Blebea, J., Carpentier, P. H., De Maeseneer, M., Gasparis, A., Labropoulos, N., Marston, W. A., Rafetto, J., Santiago, F., Shortell, C., Uhl, J. F., Urbanek, T., van Rij, A., Eklof, B., … Wakefield, T. (2020). The 2020 update of the CEAP classification system and reporting standards. Journal of vascular surgery. Venous and lymphatic disorders, 8(3), 342–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvsv.2019.12.075.

Martínez-Martínez, O. A., & Rodríguez-Brito, A. (2020). Vulnerability in health and social capital: a qualitative analysis by levels of marginalization in Mexico. International journal for equity in health, 19(1), 24.

Moore, S., and Kawachi, I. (2017). Twenty years of social capital and health research: A glossary. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 71(5), 513–517.

O’Brien BC, Harris IB, Beckman TJ, Reed DA, Cook DA. (2014). Standards for reporting qualitative research: a synthesis of recommendations. Acad Med. 89(9):1245–51.

Patton MQ. (2002) Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Thousand Oakes: Sage.

Putnam R.(1995). Tuning in, tuning out : the strange disappearance of social capital in America, Political Science and Politics.

Putnam, R. (1993). Making democracy work; civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Putnam, R.D., (1994), Tuning In, Tuning Out: The Strange Disappearance of Social Capital in America, PS Online: American Political Science Association's Journal of the Profession. Sanitaria, 29(1), 62–64.

Rosland, A. M., & Piette, J. D. (2010). Emerging models for mobilizing family support for chronic disease management: a structured review. Chronic illness, 6(1), 7–21.

Serra, R., Butrico, L., Ruggiero, M., Rossi, A., Buffone, G., Fugetto, F., ... & De Franciscis, S. (2015). Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of chronic leg ulcers: a systematic review. Acta Phlebol, 16(1), 9-18.

Serra, R., Grande, R., Butrico, L., Fugetto, F., & De Franciscis, S. (2016). Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of chronic venous disease: a systematic review. Chirurgia, 29(2), 34-45.

Swain MG.(2000). Fatigue in chronic disease. Clin Sci. 99(1):1–8.

Theeke LA, Mallow J.(2013). Loneliness and quality of life in chronically ill rural older adults: findings from a pilot study. Am J Nurs.,113(9):28.

Verbrugge LM, Lepkowski JM, Imanaka Y. (1989). Comorbidity and its impact on disability. Milbank Q., 67(3–4):450–84.

Villalonga-Olives, E., & Kawachi, I. (2017). The dark side of social capital: A systematic review of the negative health effects of social capital. Social Science & Medicine, 194, 105–127.

Villalonga-Olives, E., and Kawachi, I. (2015). The measurement of social capital. Gaceta

Williams, S. (2000). Chronic illness as biographical disruption or biographical disruption as chronic illness? Reflections on a core concept. Sociology of health & illness, 22(1), 40-67.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23756/sp.v11i2.1308

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Davide Costa, Michele Andreucci, Nicola Ielapi, Umberto Marcello Bracale, Raffaele Serra

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Science & Philosophy - Journal of Epistemology, Science and Philosophy. ISSN 2282-7757; eISSN  2282-7765.