Social Deprivation

Descending from the definition provided by Townsend in 1987, it is possible to divide deprivation, a broad and complex concept, into twomain constitutive dimensions, namely material and social deprivation. Social deprivation emphasizes the scarcity and quantity of social relationships that characterize an individual, aswell as their poor quality. The importance of deprivation understood from the social point of view can be expressed by referring to the network of relationships that is formed in a certain community, access to services, family composition, and other numerous aspects that affect daily reality. This work aims to identify the salient features of the concept of social deprivation. The theme has been developed by several authors over time, although it has often been integrated into the more general measures of deprivation. Starting from a general literature review of social deprivation, the main methods of analysis applied to social deprivation are presented. In addition, an in-depth analysis is proposed on the contributions focused on the link between social deprivation and health, in its various facets.