Preface	7
	Acknowledgments	8
	Contents	9
	1 The Significance of the Social Group	14
	Introduction	14
	The Concept of Group	14
	Common Characteristics of Social Groups	15
	Interdependence of Members	15
	External Relationships	16
	Cohesion	16
	Identification with the Group and Membership Motives	17
	Leadership Behavior	18
	Group Culture	18
	Types of Groups	18
	The Individual Versus the Group as the Unit of Analysis	19
	Groups, Relationships, Health, and Well-Being	22
	Effects of Social Ties on Health	23
	The Effects of Social Ostracism on Health	25
	The Effects of Social Isolation on Health	25
	The Effects of Loneliness on Health	27
	Effects of Group Culture on Health and Well-Being	28
	Old Order Amish	28
	Mormons	29
	Seventh-Day Adventists	30
	Israeli Kibbutzim	31
	Clergy and Religious Orders	32
	Okinawans	33
	Tarahumara Indians	34
	Costa Rica's Nicoyans	35
	Summary	36
	Notes	37
	2 The Concept of Social Cohesion	43
	Introduction	43
	Historical Overview of Conceptions of Social Cohesion	43
	Empirical Studies (Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries)	47
	Experimental Studies (Early- to Mid-20th Century)	47
	Social Network Analysis (Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries)	53
	Measuring Social Cohesion in Small Groups	54
	Measuring Social Cohesion in Large Groups	56
	Feelings of Social Cohesiveness	57
	Perceptions of Social Cohesiveness	58
	Social Network Analysis	58
	Summary	59
	Notes	59
	3 Social Cohesion and Related Concepts: Social Supportand Social Capital	61
	Introduction	61
	Social Support	62
	Concept	62
	Evidence of Effects	63
	Dimensions of Social Support	64
	Measurement	65
	Social Capital	66
	Concept	67
	Evidence of Effects	68
	Dimensions of Social Capital	69
	Measurement	70
	Functional Measures	70
	Structural Measures	71
	Positional Measures	71
	Community Social Capital	71
	Sorting Out Conceptual Relationships	73
	Different Concepts, Purposes, and Uses	75
	Summary	75
	Notes	77
	4 Cohesive Societies	80
	Introduction	80
	Social Indicators and Social Cohesion	80
	Civic Health Index	81
	Index of Social Health	82
	OECD Social Indicators	83
	Voting	84
	Crime	84
	Suicide	85
	Work Accidents	85
	Strikes	85
	Trust in Political Institutions	86
	Life Satisfaction	86
	Societal Integration and Health	86
	Cultural Differences in Social Integration	87
	Health Information as a Proxy for Measuring Societal Cohesiveness	87
	Summary	88
	Notes	88
	5 Cohesive Communities	90
	Introduction	90
	How Communities Become Cohesive	91
	Maintaining and Strengthening Community Cohesiveness	99
	Creating Cohesion Across Ethnically Diverse Communities	101
	Virtual Communities and Social Cohesiveness	102
	Effects of the Internet on Local Communities and Social Cohesion	103
	Trust as a Proxy for Community Cohesiveness	104
	The Measurement of Social Cohesion in Communities	105
	Summary	107
	Notes	109
	6 Cohesive Neighborhoods	113
	Introduction	113
	The Significance of Neighborhood	113
	Neighborhood Contexts and Neighboring Patterns	114
	Neighborhood Contexts	114
	Neighboring Patterns	115
	Neighborhood Ties	116
	Perceptions of Neighborhood Boundaries	116
	Neighboring	119
	Neighborhood Contexts, Neighboring Patterns, and Health	120
	Neighborhood Influences on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health	120
	Perceptions of Neighborhood Cohesion and Self-Rated Health	121
	Measuring Neighborhood Social Cohesion	122
	Data Sources	122
	Multilevel, Multifactor Approach	123
	Social Structure Plus Subjective Experience	126
	Instruments to Measure Neighborhood Cohesion	126
	The Neighborhood Cohesion Index (NCI)	126
	Collective Efficacy	129
	Multidimensional Measure of Neighboring (MMN)	130
	Neighborhood Cohesion: Challenges for Future Studies	130
	Summary	131
	Notes	132
	7 Cohesive Families	136
	Introduction	136
	A Systems Perspective of the Family	136
	Family Cohesion	137
	Family Cohesion and Competence	138
	Family Cohesion and Culture	139
	Family Cohesion and Change	141
	Family Cohesion, Parental Relationships, and Child/Adolescent Behavior	142
	Marital Satisfaction and Family Cohesion	142
	Parenting, Social Networks, and Family Cohesion	143
	Perceived Family Cohesion and Health Behavior	144
	Family Cohesion as a Mediator	144
	Family Criticism as a Mediator	145
	Measuring Family Cohesion	145
	Familism, Acculturation, and Family Cohesion	148
	Summary	149
	Notes	150
	8 Social Cohesion as a Mediator of Health Outcomes	154
	Introduction	154
	A Look Inside Cohesive Groups	154
	Components of a Cohesive Group	155
	Social Identity	155
	Trust	156
	Reciprocity	157
	Loyalty	158
	What We Can Learn from Behavioral Health Interventions	159
	A Paradigm	159
	Example: Family Process and the Effects of Parental Alcoholism	160
	Example: Mediating Neighborhood Effects on Educational Achievement	161
	Example: Multilevel Community Project to Prevent Alcohol Use Among Adolescents	162
	The Group Effect: Next Steps	163
	Summary	164
	Notes	165
	References	167
	Index	170