The Limits of Social Capital: Durkheim, Suicide, and Social Cohesion

[Este artigo, disponível para quem solicitar para nosso endereço (achutti@cardiol.br) uma copia, fui sugerido pela Dra. Maria Inês Reinert Azambuja. O autor discute a validade da utilização da teoria do capital social (coesão e integração social) para explicar riscos de morbi-mortalidade em nível populacional.]

The Limits of Social Capital: Durkheim, Suicide, and Social Cohesion
Howard I. and Claire E. Sterk, PhD
Recent applications of social capital theories to population health often draw on classic sociological theories for validation of the protective features of social cohesion and social integration.
Durkheim’s work on suicide has been cited as evidence that modern life disrupts social cohesion and results in a greater risk of morbidity and mortality—including selfdestructive behaviors and suicide.
We argue that a close reading of Durkheim’s evidence supports the opposite conclusion and that the incidence of self-destructive behaviors such as suicide is often greatest among those with high levels of social integration.
A reexamination of Durkheim’s data on female suicide and suicide in the military suggests that we should be skeptical about recent studies connecting improved population health to social capital.
(Am J Public Health. 2005; 95:1139–1143. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.053314)