Sex differences in social connectedness, health, and quality of life: evidence from a cross-sectional survey in urban Accra, Ghana
Our study underscores the importance of examining sex-specific patterns in the relationships between social connectedness, QoL and health outcomes. Social connections appear to have both beneficial and non-beneficial effects, especially among women, although the magnitude of these effects was often small. This may reflect complex social dynamics shaped by cultural and traditional roles that differ by sex. Further research is needed to better understand these findings. This includes identifying potential mediating variables that explain the associations between social connectedness and individual health and QoL, and exploring why some of these associations differ by sex.
Authors
- Edward F. Fottrell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0518-7161)
- Irene Akwo Kretchy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6811-5937)
- Leonard Baatiema (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3286-6565)
- Mawuli Komla Kushitor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8668-7162)
- Emeline Rougeaux (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2375-6009)
- Hassan Haghparast‐Bidgoli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6365-2944)
- Rolando Leiva-Granados
- Carlos S. Grijalva‐Eternod (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2461-9954)
- Sandra Boatemaa Kushitor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0638-6261)
- Akanksha A. Marphatia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4277-435X)
- Raphael Baffour Awuah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8662-9162)
- Samuel Amon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3937-175X)
Institutions
- University of Ghana (GH)
- University of Health and Allied Sciences (GH)
- Stellenbosch University (ZA)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (GH)
- Institute of Child Health (GR)
- Harvard Global Health Institute (US)
- Vital Strategies (US)
- University College London (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Public Health
- Published
- 2025-11-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25322-3
- Primary Topic
- Health disparities and outcomes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00