Social bonding patterns among Hong Kong adults and their associations with health outcomes

Background

Social bonding reflects the quality of social connections with others. While robust evidence demonstrated that insufficient social connection is associated with adverse health outcomes, the combined effect of different bonding types on health remained underexplored. This study aims to investigate the patterns of social bonding—specifically bonding with family, friends, and the community—and their associations with health outcomes among adults in Hong Kong.

Methods

This study involves the analysis of three population-based cross-sectional surveys conducted in June-August 2023 with a combined sample of 2,872 Hong Kong adults. Latent class analysis was employed to identify social bonding patterns in the population. Chi-square tests, Welch’s ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were used to examine the associations of social bonding patterns with health status and infection-prevention behaviours.

Results

Latent class analysis identified four distinct social bonding profiles among a sample of 2,872 Hong Kong adults: Strong Social Connectors (SSC), Moderate Social Connectors (MSC), Family-Centric Individuals (FCI), and Social Disconnectors (SOD). The FCI and SOD groups, together comprising over 36% of the sample, were characterized by lower levels of social bonding and reported poorer mental and physical health outcomes. Notably, participants in the SOD group exhibited significantly lower intention to receive COVID-19 vaccination compared to SSC and MSC. In contrast, a strong sense of community bonding was positively associated with vaccination intention.

Conclusions

This study underscores the importance of recognizing the synthetic effect of different types of social bonding on health outcomes. Furthermore, identifying and supporting individuals with weak or imbalanced social bonding, such as FCI and SOD, is critical for improving population health.

Key messages

• We found that Family-Centric Individuals and Social Disconnectors (36% of HK adults) face poorer health, proving that weak and imbalanced social bonding is critical for overall wellness.

• Our research links community ties to higher vaccine intention. Supporting socially disconnected individuals is critical for improving public health outcomes and population resilience.