"As a rough rule of thumb, if you belong to no groups but decide to join one,

you cut your risk of dying over the next year in half" 

 

Robert Putnam, in Bowling Alone (2000, p. 331) 

 

As human beings, we are all members of a number of social groups (e.g., family, community, workplace, or sports team), but not all of these groups are equally important to us. When one has a sense of belonging to a group, coupled with a sense of sharedness with the other members of the group, we can legitimately say that the group is important to a person, and we talk of group identification. 

 

Focussing on three types of groups (family, local community, and a third group chosen by the participant), the general aim of our study was to investigate the impact of group identification on health.

 

More specifically, the study addressed the following core question: Does group identification lead to better mental and physical health over time? And if so, how does group identification compare with other factors known to be associated with better health, such as a higher socio-economic status?

 

Our study involved almost 4,000 participants from two different samples. One sample was recruited from people registered at five Scottish medical practices (one in Edinburgh, one in Kinross, and three in Montrose). Another sample was recruited from people registered at a medical practice in Tuscany (Italy). Both the Scottish and the Italian sample are fairly similar and span all age-groups and social classes. This made them broadly comparable (apart from, of course, nationality and cultural features).

 

Participants completed the same questionnaire at two different points in time, with a two-year time lag between the first and the second questionnaire. The questionnaire investigated identification with the family group and with the local community. These two groups were selected because they play important roles in many people's lives and tend to have strong consequences for the health of their members. Identification with a further group selected by the participant (e.g., a professional group or a leisure group) was also assessed. The questionnaire also assessed participants' mental health by including measures of satisfaction with life and depression. Finally, the questionnaire assessed the respondents’ health behaviours (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and physical exercise).

 

In addition, objective indicators of general health recorded in the 6 months before questionnaire completion were extracted from each participant's GP record. We focused on health indicators such as one's number of GP appointments and prescribed medications, as well as the participant's cholesterol level, blood pressure, and body-mass index (BMI).

 

Many scholars have reinforced the negative effects of the disintegration of communities and social networks on people’s health. We believe that our research can provide new and important insights regarding the influence of group life on well-being.