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Objective Interpersonal negative life events (NLEs) have been linked to risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, little is known about how this risk is conferred over the short term and the mechanisms linking interpersonal NLEs to suicide risk, particularly in adolescents. This study used an intensive longitudinal design to examine thwarted belongingness with family and friends as potential mechanisms linking interpersonal NLEs to suicidal thoughts. Method Forty-eight adolescents (Mage = 14.96 years; 64.6% female, 77.1% White), who recently received acute psychiatric care for suicide risk, were followed intensely for 28 days after discharge. Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment was used to measure presence of interpersonal NLEs at the day level, fluctuations in thwarted belongingness with family and friends (separately) within day, and fluctuations in suicidal thoughts within day. A multi-level structural equation model was utilized to examine family thwarted belongingness and friend thwarted belongingness as parallel mediators in the relationship between interpersonal NLEs and next-day suicidal thoughts. Results Significant direct effects were observed between interpersonal NLEs and family thwarted belongingness, family thwarted belongingness and suicidal thoughts, and friend thwarted belongingness and suicidal thoughts. In addition, family, but not friend, thwarted belongingness significantly mediated the association between interpersonal NLEs and next-day suicidal thoughts. Conclusions Interpersonal NLEs predicted greater suicidal thoughts over the short term (next day) in high-risk adolescents. Findings suggest how interpersonal NLEs may confer risk for suicidal thoughts - by reducing feelings of family belongingness. Future research is needed to examine how modifying belongingness may reduce suicide risk in adolescents.

The continuous use intention in users is vital to the development strategy of video sharing platforms, and it creates intensive competition among providers. At present, academic research on video s...

Recent studies have indicated that grieving after suicide loss can be particularly complex and traumatic. However, studies have recognized the opportunity for personal growth among suicide-loss survivors. This study signifies an effort to develop a comprehensive understanding of the underlying interpersonal facilitators of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among suicide-loss survivors in a longitudinal design.Participants included 189 suicide-loss survivors (155 females), aged 21-73, who completed questionnaires of thwarted belongingness (TB), perceived burdensomeness (PB), and self-disclosure at T1. Moreover, participants were assessed on PTG levels at T1, 18 months (T2), and 42 months (T3).The integrated mediation model indicated that both TB and PB contributed to the PTG trajectory. PB and self-disclosure contributed to PTG at T3 beyond the PTG trajectory across time. We also found self-disclosure to mediate the association of TB and PTG at T2 and T3.These findings suggest that interpersonal factors play critical roles in contributing to PTG over time among suicide-loss survivors. Basic psychoeducational interventions designed to foster interpersonal behaviors may facilitate achieving PTG among survivors in the aftermath of suicide loss.

This study tested whether Punjabi-English bilinguals feel a stronger rapport with another bilingual stranger when communicating in L1 Punjabi or their dominant L2 English. Some previous studies hav...

Governments are increasingly interested in measuring quality of life (QoL) among older adults to inform policy. We demonstrate the advantages of situating an investigation of QoL in local contexts through a thematic analysis of focus group data collected in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. Local and broader factors relating to QoL among older adults were explored. We examine three themes: Natural Environment considers how participants derive aspects of their sense of QoL from the unique natural environment in Chatham-Kent; Amalgamation's Influence on Identity explores how participants' sense of belongingness and place-based identity were shaped by the amalgamation of townships and communities that now constitute Chatham-Kent; and Ease of Travel and Independence examines how older adults' conceptions of QoL are closely connected to their ease of travel, which they connect with a sense of independence. Our findings provide further support for the importance of engaging directly with older adults to understand their perspectives of QoL in a local context, particularly when seeking to inform policy changes.

Philosophy of religion has recently made a turn to lived religion, an approach which seeks to understand lived religion as it is experienced concretely by individual practitioners. However, this tu...

Internationally adopted adolescents face the crucial developmental task of shaping their ethnic identity by balancing their dual belongingness to the current cultural background and the birth country's ethnic background. This process does not depend exclusively on individual variables, but it is embedded within the social context. The present study was aimed at exploring the role of ethnic discrimination in moderating the association between reflected minority categorization, on the one hand, and ethnic identity, on the other. A self-report questionnaire was administrated to 180 internationally adopted adolescents. Results showed that at high levels of ethnic discrimination the relation between reflected minority categorization and ethnic identity in terms of commitment was negative and stronger. When considering instead ethnic identity in terms of exploration, it is possible to note that higher levels of reflected minority categorization were associated with higher levels of exploration. Findings are discussed in light of post-adoption intervention for adoptees.

The main purpose of this study is to explore the influences of factors on using SNSs that arise from the basic need of belonging to emotional disclosure then the intention to make connections to ot...

This study examined belongingness as it related to academic achievement. The need for research in this area derives from a sense of urgency and commitment to advocate for academically struggling Af...

This study investigates the nexus between teacher exposure to student aggression, their level of emotional exhaustion, and the role of belongingness and perceived school safety as mediators. Random...

Although the need to belong, or the desire for interpersonal attachments, is a basic human motivation, understanding of how and when it influences workplace ostracism is notably limited. Based on b...

The need to belong resonates widely as a fundamental motivation to maintain close, continual human bonds. This commentary integrates findings and conclusions from the special issue of the Australi...

One of the primary justifications for middle school sport is the presumed association between sport participation and school belongingness. However, concerns regarding school sport values have called this association into question. Previous researchers have focused primarily on school sport as a single entity, with far less consideration for the different policies available to guide sport management and delivery in the school context. The authors examine the association between sport participation and school belongingness under two sport policies (i.e., interscholastic and intramural). Moderated mediation analysis is used to examine the relationships underpinning this connection in both policy contexts. Results indicate differences across policy contexts related to the salience of perceived sport and academic competence. The discussion highlights intriguing implications for sport administrators regarding school sport policy, particularly as it pertains to promoting school belongingness.

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has gained popularity within K-12 schools for the emotional-social support, academic support, and sense of belongingness animals provide, however, concerns still arise...

This special issue celebrates the impact of Baumeister and Leary’s paper on the need to belong on its 25th birthday. This seminal work identified the importance of social connections for humans, su...

There is growing awareness of a mental health ‘crisis’ among graduate students [Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T., & Vanderford, N. L. (2018). Evidence for a mental health crisi...

Commitment to leisure is recognized as an important aspect in understanding older adults' leisure behavior. Older adults' participation in Flow and Balance (FAB) is an exemplary instance of such engagement. We interviewed 11 older women who participate in FAB to explore how this experience contributed to coping with chronic illnesses. Our analysis revealed six central themes: (a) overcoming adversities; (b) investing personal effort; (c) stages of a leisure career; (d) health benefits and belongingness; (e) developing a special social world; and (f) centrality in life. Our findings emphasize the pivotal role of committed leisure in successful aging among older women.

While the association of social media to neighborhood community connection (belongingness, cooperation, and trust with neighbors) has been explored, the influence of neighborhoods in this associati...

Civic engagement is thought to enhance personal well-being, yet little research has examined links between civic engagement, burdensomeness, and belongingness during periods of heightened civic act...

By drawing on three prominent theories, namely: theory of belongingness, social role theory and incentive theory of motivation, this article investigates a three-way interaction of tolerance to wor...

Social exclusion reduces happiness and well-being partly by creating a generalized expectation of future rejection and lack of belonging. An experiment (N = 709) using a guided imagination task fou...

Looking back through the research I have conducted on the need to belong, I discovered three unpublished projects that might be of interest . At the time, each of these projects needed follow-up wo...

Compliments can satisfy others’ need to belong, but expressers may underestimate their positive impact on recipients, creating a barrier to giving them more often. We assess how people expect recip...

Objective: The purpose of the study was two-fold. The first objective was to determine the level of rape myth acceptance of college students. The second objective was to determine the impact of social group membership on rape myth. Participants: 316 undergraduate students were recruited in spring of 2016. Methods: Surveys distributed to students to gauge rape myth acceptance using McMahon and Farmer's Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance scale along with social group belongingness of sports, Greek life, and other student organizations. Results: Data analysis indicated students do not accept rape myths. Data specified no statistical significance, unlike past research, in social group membership such as Greek life and athletics in predicting rape myth acceptance. Conclusion: There is a need to further explore social group membership in its various forms to explain rape myths and why patterns of agreement still exist in this population.

Belongingness needs have generally been thought to be filled through traditional strategies, but recent research suggests that nontraditional strategies (e.g., parasocial relationship partners, TV ...

We describe the development and validation of the LGBTQ Belongingness Attainment Scale (LGBTQ BAS) including item selection and confirmatory factor analysis. The LGBTQ BAS measures a subjective, mu...

Evidence suggests that the use of educational technologies may promote positive learning environments and contribute to students’ success. The following mixed methods study examined the impact of T...

This study investigated whether body surveillance would positively predict young Chinese women’s social anxiety and its potential mechanisms. A total of 218 young Chinese women (M age = 21 years-ol...

The current research examines the hypothesis that collective effervescence – the sense of connection and meaning that comes from collective events – is not just useful for understanding rare, unusu...

In the present study we examined the relationship between felt stigma and fan group identification as well as potential mediators of this relationship. Fans of various interests (e.g., sport, music) completed measures regarding felt stigma toward the fan group, psychological needs obtained through group membership (e.g., self-esteem, belonging), and identification with the fan community. The results showed that felt stigma predicted fan group identification, and the relationship was mediated by a psychological need for belonging. The results support prior research regarding the association between stigma and identification. However, the results add to the literature by showing belongingness as a mediator of this association.

The human need to belong is an innate drive that dictates much of our behavior. Informed by The Belongingness Hypothesis and Information Foraging Theory, the present study examines the relationship...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the multi-dimensional Psychological Ownership Questionnaire when applied in an organisational context. Method: A cross-sectional survey research design was employed (N = 953) to investigate the factorial validity, internal consistency, measurement invariance, and concurrent validity of the instrument. Results: The results showed that the five-dimensional factor structure of the Psychological Ownership Questionnaire could be confirmed. No configural, scalar, and metric invariances among different age cohorts were shown. The instrument showed reliability at both a lower (Cronbach's alpha) and upper (composite reliability) limit level. In relating the instrument to turnover intention, its concurrent validity was established. Conclusion: The Psychological Ownership Questionnaire seem to be a useful, valid, and reliable self-report questionnaire for the assessment of psychological ownership within a South African organisational context.

Individuals who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are heterogeneous across several key features, including functions served by NSSI, frequency of NSSI behaviors, medical severity of injuries, pain experienced during self-injury, and the type and number of methods employed to self-injure. The present study utilized latent class analysis (LCA) to identify distinct subgroups of self-injurers based on a wide array of NSSI features. Participants were 359 undergraduate students with a history of NSSI. Indicator variables of the LCA were the lifetime presence of NSSI methods, number of methods used over one’s lifetime, lifetime and last year frequency rates, presence of NSSI scarring, rating of pain experienced when self-injuring, and functions of NSSI. The analysis yielded four subgroups of self-injurers: a “mild/experimental NSSI” group who endorsed low frequency rates of self-injury and low presence of NSSI functions, a “moderate NSSI” group that endorsed moderate frequency rates of self-injury and moderate presence of NSSI functions, a “moderate multiple functions NSSI” group that endorsed moderate frequency rates of self-injury and high presence of NSSI functions, and a “severe NSSI” group that endorsed high frequency rates of self-injury and high presence of NSSI functions. Following class assignment, groups were found to significantly differ on measures of self-esteem, social support and belongingness, internalizing symptoms, suicidal ideation and behaviors, and other related NSSI constructs. These subtype analyses provide direction for interventions that emphasize matching phenotypes of NSSI to specific interventions based on dimensions of clinical functioning.

This article analyses the relationship between impostor phenomenon and motivation in academic women. These highly successful academics often express feelings of self-doubt, lack of belongingness, a...

This study explored the subjective perspectives of the affective, behavioral, and familial dimensions of belonging among urban middle school students through the use of Q methodology. Three viewpoi...

Transitions represent an important milestone for children and are experienced differentially. For some children, transitions represent a critical period that can have a long-term impact on their lives. This paper examines the socio-emotional aspects of the transition through an exploration of the findings derived from an evaluative case study of a group-work intervention to support children with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Needs across the Primary-Secondary transition, seen through the eyes of an adolescent boy and related stakeholders. The study took place in two local authorities in Scotland. The intervention is informed by the 'Teaching for Understanding Framework' (Project Zero, Harvard University) and 'Multiple Intelligence Theory.' The study examines the impact of the intervention on participating pupils, in the process exploring the variables that impacted on pupil progress both internal and external to the intervention. The findings highlight the importance of: building trustful and respectful relationships between adults and children; creating a safe environment in which children will be listened to and cared for; high quality pedagogy and continuity and progression across the transition; and understanding the complexity of factors which may impact on the transition for individual children, particularly for those who may be at greater risk across it.

Playful interactions with peers have a significant role in children’s lives, and experiencing belongingness and acceptance through interpersonal relationships is a fundamental presupposition for ch...

Background: Due to the numerous barriers people with a physical disability face to being physically active, emphasis in practice and research is often placed on creating opportunities for participation. As such, the quality of the experience is often ignored once an individual is participating.Purpose: An understanding of how to create quality physical activity experiences is critical to foster enjoyable and sustained participation. The aim of this systematic review was to identify intervention and/or program conditions that may foster key elements that shape quality participation (QP) experiences.Methods: In all, 24 qualitative and 6 quantitative studies met inclusion criteria. The results of the qualitative studies were synthesized using thematic analysis.Results: The synthesis identified two program conditions as important for fostering QP elements: (1) group-based programing: participating with peers can be linked to belongingness and mastery and (2) leadership: knowledgeable instructors may foster mastery and autonomy. The quantitative studies lacked variability in program conditions and QP elements, which precluded associating specific conditions with elements of a quality experience.Conclusions: Although the qualitative findings highlight two program conditions which may foster QP elements, overall, evaluations of physical activity interventions involving people with disabilities rarely include experiential aspects of participation.Implications for rehabilitationGroup-based programming and leadership are two program conditions that may foster elements of quality participation.Physical activity organizers need to consider group composition. Physical activity programs should consist of peers with a disability, as appropriate, in order to promote belongingness.Physical activity programs should provide disability-specific training to leaders or seek leaders with disability-specific knowledge, in addition to physical activity knowledge and skills.

As humans, we all experience the fundamental need to belong. Often, this sense of belonging is inherited and nurtured by our families and their histories, the languages we speak and the cultures we adhere to; and it is in our experiences and engagement with these aspects of ourselves that our identities are formed, contested, negotiated and subsequently reformed. What follows is a brief autobiographical account that explores my relationship with learning and unlearning languages at different points in my life and how these processes shaped an intrinsic understanding of myself and the world.

When people find themselves in the unenviable position of having to socially reject, do they have access to enhanced social sensitivity or does the role of rejector blunt their social sensitivity? ...

Prior research has focused on English as the medium of instruction (EMI) classes as a means of increasing language competency and motivation. However, studies have yet to examine the use of student...

Graduate students constitute a sizable proportion of students on university campuses; still, the majority of administrative efforts focus on facilitating belonging for undergraduates exclusively. This study examines sense of belonging for graduate students and how it looks different from belongingness for undergraduate students. Research driven implications and data-based strategies for facilitating graduate student sense of belonging are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between minority stress, social belongingness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGB[T+]) community, and mental health amo...

In this exploratory study, self-rated measures from two co-teachers who taught mathematics to a group of students with and without disabilities were gathered to determine perspectives about their co-teaching experiences. Students also completed three measures. Students and co-teachers agreed that the one-teach, one observe or drift co-teaching model was used most frequently. Although students noted the general educator was the instructional lead, they also believed the special educator provided a valid and valuable role in providing help to all students. All students reported high levels of school belongingness and self-efficacy. Some results matched other researchers’ findings that special educators are less frequently the lead teacher, yet our results indicated students appreciated the support received from both co-teachers. Students’ reports may have been influenced by their co-teachers’ mastery approach to instruction, which emphasised students’ individual progress versus a competitive approach. Implications for researchers and co-teachers include examining how supportive co-teaching can be transformed to maximise instructional experiences for students, and how positive co-teacher relationships translate to students’ sense of belonging and increased self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND: An understudied, yet important area of youth development research is the examination of how place affects critical psychosocial processes such as identity formation, problem solving, emotional regulation, and in particular with adolescents, belongingness, autonomy, social competency, and behavioral health. A growing spatially informed literature indicates that youth interact with meaningful places as environmental strategies, shaping developmental trajectories related to behavioral health. OBJECTIVES: The objective is to investigate the relationship between place preference and health behavior among adolescents, with a focus on substance use behavior, specifically, cannabis use. We theorize that cannabis use is associated with place preference for urban, city types of places, and that this particular place preference interacts with close peer network behaviors. METHODS: To understand the role of preferred locations, close peer relations, and mental health on cannabis use, 248 adolescents (ages 13 to 14) were studied longitudinally. Logistic regression models tested the moderating effects of peer network health (sum of close friends risk and protective behaviors) on selecting city locations (urban stress/neighborhoods) as preferred places, and subsequent cannabis use. RESULTS: Results indicated that peer network health moderated the effects of choosing city locations as favorite, increasing the odds of cannabis use more than 8-fold at 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: Favorite places located in city environments appear to interact with peer risk behaviors influencing the cannabis use of young urban adolescents, even after controlling for the influence of baseline cannabis use, neighborhood disorder the home neighborhood, age, gender, and mental health effects.

Spectator violence is an issue that affects many football matches in Sweden and other countries. Different models have tried to explain why individuals participate in sports fandom and associated b...

In theory, the encounter group is well suited to addressing the problems of Chinese college students, but in practice, significant conflicts exist between the nature of the encounter group and the internalized beliefs of this group of students. This brief report identifies six areas of notable conflict in the therapeutic process: freedom of expression, belongingness, learning from diversity, impacts of an exam-oriented education, social inequalities, and indirect communication. The advantages for the encounter group members were the opportunities to enjoy self-expression, gain acceptance regardless of social status, learn about differences between themselves and other members, provide nonstandardized answers, increase the level of self-advocacy, and feel safe directly expressing themselves. On the negative side, group members may have felt distressed due to the conflicts between the basic character of the encounter group and their own cultural beliefs. The limitations of this study are found in th...

In Banks (2017) several of the contributing authors adhere to one of two strands of civic education (1) how society determines how immigrants gain membership, acceptance, and/or belongingness and (...

A number of recent studies have revealed that taking part in a sail-training-based Adventure Education Programme elevates youths’ self-esteem. Across two studies, we sought to examine the extent to which youths’ sense of belonging contributed to this increase in self-esteem. Study 1 revealed that participants who completed the voyage showed an increase in self-esteem from the first to the last day of the voyage. Partial correlation revealed that group belonging made a unique contribution to this change. Study 2 replicated Study 1 and, further, demonstrated that the relationship between group belonging and self-esteem was not a function of self-efficacy or group esteem. Such findings suggest that an important contributing factor to the benefits of sail-training interventions is their potential to satisfy psychological needs, in this case the need to belong.

The psychoanalytic community is almost uniformly left-leaning. That homogeneity fosters a sense of moral community and belongingness but limits the theoretical and clinical grasp of issues with pow...