Vitamine V: Gezondheidseffecten van vrijwilligerswerk 24 mei 2012 Rene Bekkers Filantropische Studies, VU Amsterdam Arjen de Wit Research Master Social Sciences, Universiteit van Amsterdam 1 1

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Issues to be resolved What kind of volunteering is most beneficial? What kind of health outcomes are affected by volunteering? How and why does volunteering promote health? How much of the relationship is causal? 3 3

Strictly speaking… We do not know to what extent volunteering benefits health, and to what extent health benefits volunteering It’s impossible to tell from cross-sectional relationships: To what extent do more healthy individuals self-select into volunteering? To what extent do changes in health affect changes in volunteering and vice versa? 4 4

Why volunteering benefits health Joy of giving hypothesis: Volunteering has a physiological stress-buffering effect Social network size hypothesis: Volunteering builds networks that may be called upon when in need oneself Personality strength hypothesis: Volunteering enhances psychological well- being that sustains health 5 5

Data: Building Blocks

Results Subjective health: What is the effect of volunteering on self-reported health? And how is the effect mediated by networks and personality strength? Mortality risk: How does the probability to decease differ between volunteers and non-volunteers? And how can this difference be explained?

Volunteering effects on subjective health Specification Coeff (SE) Constant Random Effects GLS ***.187 (.021) 3.507 Between Effects ***.345 (.044) 3.461 Fixed Effects ***.141 (.024) 3.543 Hausman test RE-FE ***16.00 Ratio 75% Estimates on effects of volunteering (m=27.6%) from random and fixed effects regression models. Source: LASA, 1992-2006 (n=9,860; 2,370; unbalanced panel) 8 8

Development of subjective health

Subjective health (fixed effects) Volunteering (0-1, m=0.276) *** 0.141 *** 0.113 Mastery (5-25, m=17.226) *** 0.035 Network size (0-75, m=14.619) * 0.003 Instrumental support given (0-3, m=1.706) *** 0.058 (Constant) *** 3.543 *** 2.879 Estimates on effects of volunteering (m=27.6%) from fixed effects regression models. Source: LASA, 1992-2009 (n=9,119; 2,339; unbalanced panel) *p < 0.05 ** p < 0.01 *** p < 0.001

Mortality risks

Mortality risk (logit) Odds ratio Started volunteering (ref: never) *** 0.257 - Controlling for health in wave B *** 0.389 Quit volunteering (ref: sustained) 0.969 - Controlled for health in wave B 0.707 *p < 0.05 ** p < 0.01 *** p < 0.001 12 12

Stepwise analysis mortality risk Volunteering ***-10.3 **-6.9 *-5.1 *-4.8 Neuroticism -0.1 -0.2 CES-D -0.0 Mastery *-0.8 -0.6 Self-esteem 0.6 0.7 0.8 Network size Instr. Received ***5.9 ***5.6 Instr. Given ***-11.0 ***-10.7 Emot. Received **-5.2 Emot. Given (*)3.2 (*)3.3 Subjective health *-2.7 Pred. Prob. (RE) 29.0 24.5 23.7 23.6 13 13

Discussion Are other social activities less beneficial than volunteering? How does the health benefit vary with levels of engagement (number of hours volunteered)? Which variables moderate the health benefit (age, religion, education)? 14 14

Contact René Bekkers, r.bekkers@vu.nl Blog: renebekkers.wordpress.com Twitter: @renebekkers ‘Giving in the Netherlands’, Center for Philanthropic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University Amsterdam: www.geveninnederland.nl Dag van de Sociologie, Utrecht