Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with worse mental health outcomes. However, less is known about the ways in which social capital, the bonds, norms and networks between people, moderates this relationship. This thesis explores the influence and interaction of deprivation and social capital on mental health and well-being across three chapters. In Chapter one, a systematic review of the literature identifies 32 studies, with a pooled sample of 562,640 individuals. It examines the associations between social capital, measured at the individual and/or ecological level, socioeconomic status and mental health outcomes
globally. Numerous studies suggested that social capital can provide a powerful buffer against the detrimental effects of deprivation on mental health outcomes. However, complexities existed. For example, strong connections between homogeneous members of deprived groups (bonding social capital) was linked to worse mental health outcomes for some individuals. In Chapter two, an empirical study explores the association between economic deprivation and churn, population turnover measured at the neighbourhood level, and how
these factors interact when predicting inpatient psychiatric admission levels across Wales. Churn, which was conceptualised as potentially disruptive to social capital, was independently associated with higher admission rates, as was deprivation. There was also a significant interaction effect between these factors as areas with both high churn and high deprivation were associated with higher admission rates overall. These relationships were found to be robust whether deprivation was modelled using low income or via the overall rank on the
Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, and also when population density was controlled for. Chapter three considers the results of the literature review and the empirical paper and outlines their theoretical and clinical implications. These are considered at the individual, community and national levels. Personal reflections are also discussed.