Experts’ consensus on using social capital in interventions to promote adolescents’ mental health: A qualitative Delphi Study

There is convincing evidence for the positive links that exist between social capital and adolescent mental health. However, utilisation of social capital in interventions to promote adolescent mental health remains complex. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying the areas of agreement and contention on utilising social capital in interventions to promote adolescents' mental health. A two-round qualitative e-Delphi study built on a scoping review from a larger research project is used to collect experts' perceptions on social capital and its application in interventions seeking to promote the mental health of adolescents. The findings show three main overlapping actions characterising social capital interventions: Initiating or creating connections, enhancing existing connections and creating awareness of the benefits of social capital. Structural social capital is perceived by most experts as easier to simulate in interventions than cognitive social capital. However, cognitive social capital is more proximal to mental health outcomes than structural social capital in the pathway linking social capital actions to adolescent mental health. The study finds the view of social capital as a property of individuals to be of greater theoretical and practical advantage in adolescent mental health interventions than the perception of social capital as a public good. Myriads of contextual factors determine the need, type, and success of social capital interventions within different settings. The findings of this study support the application of social capital in practice by identifying the actions, processes and prerequisites for developing social capital interventions to promote adolescents’ mental health.