Research spotlight for Mental Health Awareness Week

Our research team has been investigating the links between social cohesion, mental health, and physical health for people living in social housing in Cornwall.

Social housing is below market-rate rental accommodation for people in certain health or economic circumstances. This research looked further into how these circumstances impact people’s social cohesion.

How does social cohesion link to mental health?

Research and policy have identified social cohesion as a link to health and wellbeing, that could help to make sustainable change. But social cohesion can vary between communities, as we’ve found with the community we have been researching in Cornwall.

What did we find?

We focused our research on our Smartline community of more than 200 households who live in social housing owned and managed by Coastline Housing. We asked participants to complete the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and an eight item social cohesion scale.

We found that when asserting quality of life, there is a significant link between social cohesion, mental wellbeing and mental health-related, with social cohesion significantly associated with mental wellbeing.

What can we do to improve social cohesion?

Our research finds that efforts made by social housing providers to offer social opportunities to residents, regardless of their individual physical or mental health, could social cohesion.

Our partners Cornwall Council, Coastline Housing and Volunteer Cornwall are all working together to improve social cohesion and mental health for people living in social housing in Cornwall. Find out more by clicking on the links below.