Social Capital and Quality of Life among the Refugees residing in Mbarara City Southwestern Uganda

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Globally, social capital is considered a significant resource in improving quality of life among human beings. In this study, we aimed at assessing the proportions of forms of social capital and their association with the quality of life among the refugees living in Mbarara City southwestern Uganda. Methods This cross-sectional study used consecutive sampling method to select 344 refugees that were living in Mbarara city at the time of data collection. Refugees were assessed on their social capital using the World bank Social Capital Integrated Questionnaire. Quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization questionnaire of quality of life. Data were analyzed using STATA. Descriptive statistics determined the occurrence of social capital while linear regression model determined the association between social capital and quality of life. Results Almost all participants endorsed one form of social capital, with majority of the participants [251(73%)] endorsing sociability, followed by trust and solidarity 186(54%), groups and networks were the least endorsed [170(49%)] within our sample. Our findings further showed that having high levels of trust and solidarity, positively correlated with quality of life (b = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.09 to 1.51; p = 0.027). Conclusions High social capital is likely to be associated with quality of life among refugees. Interventions aimed at building strong social capital are encouraged.