The effect of social capital on infectious disease-specific health literacy among community residents: the chain mediating effect of family health and psychological capital

Objective: This study aims to investigate how social capital affects infectious disease-specific health literacy among Chinese community residents, with a focus on the mediating roles of family health and psychological capital. The findings offer both theoretical insights and practical recommendations for enhancing infectious disease-specific health literacy among residents in a systematic manner. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized convenience sampling to survey 415 residents from five communities in Xi'an, China, between September and October 2025. The survey collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, social capital, family health, psychological capital, and infectious disease health literacy. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0. Results: = 0.329, accounting for 35.45% of the total effect) and also exerted indirect effects through both independent and chained mediations involving family health and psychological capital. Specifically, the independent mediating effect of family health accounted for 38.90% of the total effect, while the effect of psychological capital contributed 17.03%. The combined chained mediating effect of both factors accounted for 8.62%. All hypotheses were confirmed. Conclusion: Social capital directly influences residents' infectious disease-specific health literacy and indirectly affects it through the mediating pathways of family health and psychological capital. Therefore, implementing a comprehensive intervention strategy that "cultivates community social capital, optimizes family health functions, and enhances residents' psychological capital" provides an effective approach to systematically improving infectious disease-specific health literacy among community residents and strengthening grassroots epidemic prevention networks.