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This study examined workplace inclusivity experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and others (LGBT) using the Self-affirmation Theory, Workplace Belongingness, and Motivation. With Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, LGBT from diverse industries in Batangas were questioned utilizing a semi-structured interview. This study aimed to explore the inclusivity experience of LGBT members in their workplace and proposed comprehensive activities that can help promote an inclusive workplace effectively. To do this, the researcher examined the responses of the LGBT members. It was found that Self-affirmation Attributes; Conditional Positive Self-View; Self-affirmation Strategies for Self-esteem; Workplace Inclusivity, and Belonging; Diverse Spectrum of Workplace Facilities and Treatment for LGBT Groups; Sustainable Approaches to Inclusivity and Gender Equality Efforts; Dualistic Workplace Experiences; Innate Motivation Perform; Diverse External Motivators and Demotivators; and Fulfillment and Motivation in Assigned roles existed as part of their workplace experience. This study also recommended a Comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Value Proposition to be adopted in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined HSI-status identification in mission statements and main webpages of all Texas HSIs. Only four institutions explicitly mentioned their HSI status in their institution’s mission statement. Mission statements were also analyzed for keywords such as “diversity/diverse,” “culture/multicultural,” and “access.” Slightly more than half of the institution’s mission statements included related keywords. Webpages were observed for HSI status and/or other culturally diverse distinguishing banners and 14% of institutions advertised their HSI status on their website home page. These results align with and extend previous research and suggest that HSI status remains somewhat hidden. A more obvious presentation of HSI identity could enhance serving and better uphold the mission of the institution. However, obvious presentation may also be challenging in the current political climate in states like Texas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their aim to foster belongingness, a small percentage of incoming college students (1%-2%) report feeling excluded (not belonging) during their outdoor orientation program. Feelings of exclusion are often highly consequential to a person transitioning to college. This study explores the experiences of students reporting low levels of belongingness (n = 11) to better understand their experience and to help inform interventions. Thematic analysis using a General Qualitative Approach (GQA) revealed several factors contributing to students' lack of belonging. Findings led to the development of the Belongingness Assessment Model (BAM). This novel approach assesses a lack of belongingness by combining two different assessments found in the literature categorizing belongingness as either isolated or generalized and identifying the lack of belongingness as bridgeable or unbridgeable. Leader approaches to belongingness may require different interventions based upon the type of exclusion a participant is experiencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People in late adulthood die by suicide at the highest rate worldwide. However, there are still no tools to help predict the risk of death from suicide in old age. Here, we leveraged the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) prospective dataset to train and test a machine learning model to identify predictors for suicide in late life. Methods: Of more than 16,000 deaths recorded, 74 were suicides. We matched 73 individuals who died by suicide with people who died by accident, according to sex (28.8% female in the total sample), age at death (67 ± 16.4 years), suicidal ideation (measured with the EURO-D scale), and the number of chronic illnesses. A random forest algorithm was trained on demographic data, physical health, depression, and cognitive functioning to extract essential variables for predicting death from suicide and then tested on the test set. Results: The random forest algorithm had an accuracy of 79% (95% CI 0.60-0.92, p = 0.002), a sensitivity of.80, and a specificity of.78. Among the variables contributing to the model performance, the three most important factors were how long the participant was ill before death, the frequency of contact with the next of kin and the number of offspring still alive. Conclusions: Prospective clinical and social information can predict death from suicide with good accuracy in late adulthood. Most of the variables that surfaced as risk factors can be attributed to the construct of social connectedness, which has been shown to play a decisive role in suicide in late life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern digital era, WeChat has risen as a key platform for social engagement and relationship building, extending beyond its initial role as an instant messaging app. Despite numerous studies exploring various psychological aspects, such as social anxiety and belongingness, in relation to WeChat users' liking behavior, a dearth of research exists in establishing a comprehensive framework for thorough investigation. To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, this study is rooted in the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Uses and Gratifications Theory, constructing a research framework to examine how social anxiety and belongingness influence the interactive behavior of WeChat users within the "Moments" feature. The analysis of 345 valid questionnaires led to the following conclusions: heightened user belongingness encourages increased engagement, particularly expressed through actions like liking posts in WeChat Moments, while elevated social anxiety may impede such behaviors. These motivations and subsequent actions not only reflect the intricate psychological dynamics of users in virtual social interactions but also reveal prevalent patterns of online relationship maintenance in the current digital landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Methods Results Discussion Perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB), two proximal risk factors for suicide, may rise during residential eating disorder (ED) treatment when patients are separated from support and face exorbitant costs of care. In this setting, fostering motivation for treatment is challenging, and low motivation for treatment may exacerbate feelings of PB and TB. Simultaneously, PB and TB could reduce motivation for treatment, though no studies have explored this relationship longitudinally. Accordingly, this study examined associations between interpersonal needs (TB, PB) and motivation for treatment across the first 6 weeks of residential ED treatment.Participants (n = 98) completed the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) and rated treatment motivation weekly. Pearson bivariate correlations examined the relationship between motivation and interpersonal needs at each timepoint. Two autoregressive cross‐lagged panel models (AR‐CLPMs) tested reciprocal relationships between these constructs longitudinally across the first 6 weeks of treatment.Motivation was significantly negatively correlated with PB and TB at all timepoints. In AR‐CLPM 1, Week 2 Motivation predicted Weeks 3 PB, then Week 3 PB predicted Week 4 Motivation. In AR‐CLPM 2, Week 2 TB predicted Week 3 Motivation, but Motivation did not predict TB at any timepoint.This study is the first to examine longitudinal relations between interpersonal needs and treatment motivation in residential ED care. PB and TB may influence one's motivation for treatment, although motivation and PB had a stronger reciprocal relationship than motivation and TB. Interpersonal needs should be addressed early in residential treatment to mitigate negative cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study focused on processes underlying Cuban students' academic performance. Using path analyses, the model examined the relations between family relationships and academic performance mediated by belongingness and moderated by sex differences among Cuban medical students (N = 613; M age = 21.39, SD = 2.05). Findings indicated that improved family relationships significantly predicted increased belongingness to the field of medicine for both male and female students. The relation between belongingness and academic performance was only significant for male students. Thus, improved family relationships informed academic performance via belongingness for male medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of access to STEMM mentors has been identified as a critical barrier to biomedical research careers, leading to a lack of diversity in this field. To address such a barrier, the National Institutes of Health invested funds to support institutions in developing research immersion programs to provide "underrepresented" students with mentored research experiences. While providing access and opportunity for research experiences is an important equity endeavor, a focus solely on broadening participation neglects the role of institutions in perpetuating hegemonic views of science. Institutions often fail to recognize how entanglements of affect and emotion shape youth experiences in these programs and work to (de)legitimize their sense of belonging in science and perpetuate the notion of science as for an exclusive few. In this paper, we describe findings from a project aimed at understanding the entanglement of emotion and affect in a research immersion program and how these entanglements shaped participants' sense of belongingness in the program and research more broadly. Drawing on a poststructural feminist framework, we come to understand how individual histories and emotional experiences with racial and gender stereotypes work at the meta‐affective level to contract feelings of belongingness in science for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fan Culture has changed and challenged storytelling through social media platforms like TikTok, Tumblr, and Instagram, opening doors to other perspectives outside the dominant social groups. In the blink of an eye, fandom has turned pop culture into a conversation, highlighting every displeasure or appreciation for the fictional worlds. In these conversations, fans start talking about the representational gaps in the media and come to the mutual understanding that to be represented, marginalized social groups need to break down the mold built by the dominant groups. My project highlights the complexity and diversity of literary fandoms. The interactive website will feature a series of profiles that will investigate how fan culture has fostered a sense of identity and reflection for those who belong to marginalized groups. The interviews I conduct will cover a variety of topics, including how readers have found representation in books featuring marginalized characters and how readers have had to create their own representation in fictional settings of their own design. My investigation aims to help us understand how representation is required to highlight the multicultural nature of our world. It’s past time that the world recognized fandom for more than its negative aspects and instead acknowledged its potential for social good.

Memorable messages that adoptees receive throughout development may have lasting impacts on their well-being, identity development, and relationships. Given historical and current adoption practices that link adoption and Christianity, more research is needed to examine the memorable messages that adoptees received while being raised in these religious contexts. Using a qualitative approach grounded in the communicated sense-making model, 41 adult adoptees were interviewed to identify memorable messages they heard while growing up in Christian adoptive homes, the communicators of messages, and their interpretations of the messages as children and adults. Results revealed a range of memorable messages communicated primarily by adoptive parents and church members, including that the adoptee was chosen by God, that the adoption was part of God's plan, and that they were saved/rescued. Common childhood interpretation themes included accepting the messages, questioning belonging, and complying/people pleasing. Adult interpretations were generally more critical, including that the messages glossed over trauma and grief and implied negative views of first family/culture. These findings add to the literature in adoptive family communication by taking into account the religious undertones of many adoption-based messages and contribute to the broader literature on memorable messages by identifying participants' progression of sense-making in interpreting these messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Introduction.: A greater sense of belonging has been found to correspond with better academic performance/motivation, retention, and general mental well-being among college students. As a result, it is important to be able to meaningfully assess student physical therapists' sense of belonging. Review of Literature.: While there are questionnaires available to assess sense of belonging at the university level, it is also important to be able to assess students' sense of belonging in a narrower context, such as within their program of study. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a program-specific tool, referred to as the Program Sense of Belonging (ProSB) questionnaire, that could be used to assess sense of belonging among student physical therapists. As part of this study, we examined the internal structure of the ProSB questionnaire items and assessed internal consistency. Subjects.: One hundred twenty-four student physical therapists from 2 different physical therapist education programs completed the ProSB questionnaire. Methods.: We conducted an exploratory factor analysis to examine the internal structure of the ProSB questionnaire and examined Cronbach's alpha to assess the internal consistency of the items associated with each retained factor. Results.: For the final 10-item version of the ProSB questionnaire, 2 factors were retained, which explained 57.5% of the variance (factor 1 = 30.9%, factor 2 = 26.6%). The 5 items that loaded on factor 1 were related to "social acceptance," while the 5 items that loaded on factor 2 were related to "valued competence." Both subscales exhibited acceptable levels of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥0.84). Discussion.: The ProSB questionnaire appears to capture different dimensions of student physical therapists' sense of belonging (social acceptance, valued competence) at the program level. Conclusion: Based on our preliminary findings, the ProSB questionnaire appears to be a valid tool for assessing program-level sense of belonging among student physical therapists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has found significant links between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and worsened mental health outcomes in adulthood but has largely neglected the specific developmental period of the transition to college. The current study examined whether social factors (connectedness, integration, and support) moderated the links between ACEs and mental health. Participants (N = 129, Mage = 18.6) were first-year undergraduates who completed an anonymous online survey study. ACEs were found to significantly correlate with stress, anxiety, and depression. Of the three social factors, only social connectedness had a buffering effect on the association between ACEs with anxiety and depression. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses illuminated participant psychosocial challenges relating to difficulty with relationships, social avoidance, lack of trust, social comparison, and feelings of exclusion and loneliness. The current research highlights the key role of social connectedness in the psychosocial well-being of college students vulnerable to distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose that much of modern human behavior can be understood as the outcome of a primitive and implicit desire for social embeddedness (i.e., a desire to belong to a larger, societal-level collective). Research from our lab suggests that people watch television, follow celebrities, and go to concerts and sporting events, at least in part, to fill this need. Connections to other research and implications for understanding human behavior are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academics often comment that their teaching affects their research, but how this manifests is often implicit. In this essay, I explicitly explore the artistic, scholarly, and curatorial research instantiated by an undergraduate class titled "Transgender Studies meets Art History," which I taught during the fall of 2022. Alongside personal anecdotes—both personal and connected to the class—and a critical reflection on my pedagogy, I discuss the artwork and public programming connected to a curatorial project, "Forever Becoming: Decolonization, Materiality, and Trans* Subjectivity, I organized at UrbanGlass, New York City in 2023. The first part of the article I examine how "trans" can be applied to thinking about syllabus construction and re-thinking canon formation for a class focused on transgender studies' relationship to art history. In the second half, I theorize trans joy as a felt vibration between/across multiplicity and singularity, belonging and unbelonging, and world-making and world-unmaking. Overall, I consider trans as a lived experience and its utility as a conceptual tool. As a coda, I consider the precarity of teaching this course in the current political climate of the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employees at libraries of all types are looking for ways to form and strengthen relationships between colleagues who may be physically and socially disconnected after a period of remote work or staff turnover. At East Tennessee State University's Sherrod Library, some library faculty and staff formed a committee to plan monthly events to encourage community among library employees. Events have included craft and poetry workshops, music and book discussions, potlucks, and professional development sessions. Recommendations to the reader for planning similar events include considering accessibility and scheduling, drawing from local talent and resources, and experimenting with a variety of activities. The committee's efforts have strengthened relationships among library employees, improved leadership skills for early career librarians, and inspired new outreach projects to engage the campus community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With >1300 civilians murdered, the terrorist attack of October 7 is one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern history. Previous research documented a sharp increase in depression in the aftermath of the attacks and the military conflict that followed. In this national prospective cohort study, we examined to what extent perceived belongingness (PB) moderates the association between depression and suicide ideation (SI) in the wake of the October 7th terrorist attack. A representative sample of 710 Israeli adults (of them, 362 females, 51.1 %), Jews (557, 79.9 %), and Arabs (153, 20.1 %), aged 18–85 (M = 41.01 , SD = 13.72) completed questionnaires assessing depression, current SI, and perceived belongingness at two timepoints: T1 (in August 2023) and T2 (in November 2023). Perceived belongingness at T1 predicted SI at T2 beyond demographic and trauma-related characteristics. Importantly, we found a significant interaction in which a PB at T1 moderated the link between depression and current SI at T2. Specifically, the level of depression at T2 contributed to current SI-T2 more strongly for individuals with low PB levels than for individuals with high PB levels. Our study highlights the impact of PB on SI following the October 7th terrorist attack. Clinicians treating individuals coping with depression should attend to their patients' sense of belongingness, as low PB comprises a significant risk factor for current SI. Moreover, community and national initiatives that could increase levels of PB among the citizens may help to diminish suicide risk in the aftermath of the attack. • This is the first prospective study on suicide ideation after the October 7th terrorist attack in Israel. • Belongingness pre-attack predicted suicide ideation post October 7th attack. • Belongingness found to moderate the contribution of depression on current SI following the attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Supreme Court decision that race conscious admissions policies in universities are unconstitutional has created questions and concerns about the sustainability of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in many organizations and across sectors. This editorial provides hopeful examples of how belongingness is being embraced as a core value in many organizations. In an interview with education expert, Dr Pauline Dow, we discuss ways that the education sector creates trust and belongingness and explore best practices and leadership development methods that allow teachers to thrive. Lessons learned in the educator sector offer insights into how belongingness can be cultivated in other sectors, organizations and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use in college students is an important public health problem associated with substantial consequences. It is a critical step to examine risk and protective factors associated with substance use to develop prevention and intervention strategies for promoting college students' healthy development and well-being. The present cross-sectional study aimed to examine the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and substance use and the moderating effect of social support and belongingness in this association among college students. The sample of this cross-sectional study included 382 emerging adults. Participants included 56.8% female and 43.2% male, and they ranged in age between 20 and 29 years (M = 22.05, SD = 2.17). Findings from the study first confirmed that psychological maltreatment was a significant predictor of social support, belongingness, psychological distress, and substance use. Subsequent results revealed that psychological distress mediated the association between psychological maltreatment and college students' substance use. Also, belongingness and social support had a buffering effect on this association. The findings suggest that psychological maltreatment is a significant risk factor in developing substance use behavior and that belongingness and social support services can serve as protective resources. Based on these results, prevention and intervention services focusing on improving the feeling of belonging and social support could be conducive to the decreased substance use of psychologically maltreated emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020, the sports world came to a standstill as COVID-19 spread across the globe. Sport fans were among the industry stakeholders most affected. Fans turn to sports to satisfy a variety of needs [Trail, G.T. (2018). Sport consumer behavior (4th ed.). Printed by the author.] and experience psychosocial benefits by way of their fandom [Wann et al. (2000). The self-presentation of sport fans: Investigating the importance of team identification and self-esteem. Journal of Sport Behavior, 23(2), 198–206.; Wann et al. (2017). Testing the team identification–social psychological health model: Mediational relationships among team identification, sport fandom, sense of belonging, and meaning in life. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 21(2), 94–107.] Without games, however, to what extent were fans able to fulfill these needs? Further, did fans experience detrimental impacts to their self-esteem and sense of belongingness in relation to their team/fan communities? Data were collected via an online survey using select online NBA and MLB team message boards in addition to Amazon MTurk. Fan needs were measured using adapted versions of prior sport fan motivation scales [Trail & James (2001). The motivation scale for sport consumption: Assessment of the scale's psychometric properties. Journal of Sport Behavior, 24, 108–127; Wann (1995). Preliminary validation of the sport fan motivation scale. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 19(4), 377–396.]. Self-esteem was measured using an adapted version of Harris et al.'s [Harris et al. (2018). The Lifespan Self-Esteem scale: Initial validation of a new measure of global self-esteem. Journal of Personality Assessment, 100(1), 84–95]. Lifespan Self-Esteem Scale. Belongingness was measured using four items from Malone et al.'s [Malone et al. (2012). The general Belongingness Scale (GBS): Assessing achieved belongingness. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(3), 311–316]. General Belongingness Scale. Survey results from 417 sports fans revealed many of the needs typically met through sport consumption (i.e. achievement, drama, escape, family togetherness, social connections, group affiliation, and entertainment) went largely unmet during the pandemic. Further, highly passionate fans maintained higher perceived levels of self-esteem and belongingness than less passionate respondents. Results of this study should aid sports organizations in understanding the experience of their fans during the pandemic and better prepare teams and leagues to engage their consumers in future situations where live sports are unavailable. This paper builds on our understanding of fan motivation and psychosocial outcomes of fandom in a time when the sport was suspended due to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This year, 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of Brown versus Board of Education (1954). Despite this amount of time since Black students were legally allowed to attend schools with White students, the goal(s) of this landmark court case have not been achieved. Schools are not desegregated in many states and districts. Even more segregated is gifted and talented education (GATE) in which Black students are underrepresented about approximately 55% (Office for Civil Rights' Civil Rights Data, 2023) ; denied access exists more for this group more than any other. In this brief article, we juxtapose GATE with the tenets of Brown, and provide recommendations and resources for families and educators from various disciplines. We urge educators to turn from equality to equity in order to truly advocate for their Black students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students at a large and socially diverse urban university completed an anonymous survey examining online learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic with an emphasis on decisions to keep their cameras on or off during synchronous class. The 505 student respondents used 7-point scales to assess their school performance and everyday life experiences during the pandemic, general classroom values, pre-pandemic and current pandemic experiences, technological proficiencies related to Zoom, and camera on/off attitudes, as well as the online behavior of professors, and the role of social media in their everyday lives. The findings underscored two motivations underlying school engagement. Students could be motivated by a need for belonging involving authentic self-presentation while experiencing the emotional presence of others, and/or be instrumentally motivated by a need to perform well and advance their careers. The importance of professors creating a safe online space to foster a sense of belonging was highlighted. Finally, the findings show that feelings about having one's camera on or off during online classes are related to everyday social media experiences. The social-emotional and pragmatic aspects of university education are complementary facets of a university experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aims of this multi-study investigation were to expand the research on social connectedness (Lee & Robbins, 1995, 1998) to investigate associations with physical health indices. A multi-study approach was utilized to identify independent associations of social connectedness with somatic distress and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to apply belongingness and loneliness theoretical frameworks to reveal potential pathways from social connectedness to health. Methods: Social connectedness and somatic symptoms severity were measured in a sample of college students (Study 1, N = 486) and replicated with HRQOL outcomes in a sample of individuals with ongoing symptoms of chronic illness (Study 2, N = 225). The third study added loneliness and stress measures and focused on HRQOL as an outcome (Study 3, N = 280).Results: Social connectedness consistently emerged as a significant and independent predictor of HRQOL and somatic symptom severity, with standardized coefficients ranging from − 0.22 for somatic distress to 0.28 for physical functioning, and 0.24–0.26 for general health. In Study 3, mediation findings showed that stress partially explained the connection between social connectedness and HRQOL. Conclusions: Findings suggest that a sense of self as being more connected with the social world is important for physical health, with this relationship partially accounted for by stress. Addressing social connectedness may be an important consideration in health research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of the development of suicidal ideation and its moderating and protective factors. Drawing on the Interpersonal‐psychological theory of suicide, we proposed that disruptions to belongingness, in conjunction with tolerance of health risk, may influence the development of suicidal ideation above and beyond psychosocial changes such as disruptions to finances and work. Methods: The study involved a longitudinal investigation of an Australian representative sample reporting suicidal ideation fortnightly for 12 weeks between March and June 2020. Results: The results indicated that participants who reported higher levels of belongingness, mastery, and intolerance of health risk were less likely to experience suicidal ideation and had lower severity of suicidal ideation. Mastery significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the incidence of suicidal ideation, while agreeableness significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the severity of suicidal ideation over time. Conclusion: The findings suggest that supporting effective social connectedness during times of isolation and promoting self‐efficacy, mastery, and regulation of risk tolerance, may be crucial for suicide prevention and therapeutic intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPeople in late adulthood die by suicide at the highest rate worldwide. However, there are still no tools to help predict the risk of death from suicide in old age. Here, we leveraged the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) prospective dataset to train and test a machine learning model to identify predictors for suicide in late life.MethodsOf more than 16,000 deaths recorded, 74 were suicides. We matched 73 individuals who died by suicide with people who died by accident, according to sex (28.8% female in the total sample), age at death (67 ± 16.4 years), suicidal ideation (measured with the EURO-D scale), and the number of chronic illnesses. A random forest algorithm was trained on demographic data, physical health, depression, and cognitive functioning to extract essential variables for predicting death from suicide and then tested on the test set.ResultsThe random forest algorithm had an accuracy of 79% (95% CI 0.60-0.92, p = 0.002), a sensitivity of.80, and a specificity of.78. Among the variables contributing to the model performance, the three most important factors were how long the participant was ill before death, the frequency of contact with the next of kin and the number of offspring still alive.ConclusionsProspective clinical and social information can predict death from suicide with good accuracy in late adulthood. Most of the variables that surfaced as risk factors can be attributed to the construct of social connectedness, which has been shown to play a decisive role in suicide in late life.

Sense of belonging plays an essential role in the retention and success of distance learning students. This study investigated the influence of a sense of belonging on the intentions to drop out among black and white distance learning students at a university in South Africa. A total of 831 participants were surveyed and constituted the sample of this study. The study was conducted using a quantitative research approach. The independent samples t-test results showed that there are racial differences in students’ perceived sense of belonging towards the university, with black students (M = 3.26, SD = 0.84) scoring significantly higher on the sense of belonging compared to white students (M = 2.88, SD = 0.79). Additionally, multiple linear regression analysis results showed that a sense of belonging significantly predicts intentions to drop out of university among black and white students. The results suggest that minority students in distance learning institutions should be supported to enhance their sense of belonging towards their learning environment. Furthermore, the results indicate that distance learning institutions should consider multiple strategies to foster a sense of belonging among students and improve the rates of retention.

Belongingness has been proposed as a potential proxy for legitimate peripheral participation in medical education. Previous studies have shown good internal and external validity for tools designed to measure this variable, with potential use measuring the effectiveness of clinical teaching environments and as a marker of student wellbeing. This study examined changes in belongingness in medical students at the University of Exeter measured in spring 2019 and the equivalent period in 2021, during which COVID-19 related restrictions were in place in the United Kingdom. This study used a validated assessment tool that was self-administered via an online survey platform in 2021. Anonymised data was collected from undergraduate medical students from all years of training and results compared with previous data collected in 2019. The belongingness assessment tool described here had validity in undergraduate medical students studying at the University of Exeter and identified statistically significant changes in belongingness (as measured with this tool) between 2019 and the period during which COVID-19 restrictions were in place. These results suggest that belongingness – in undergraduate medical students fluctuates and varies under different conditions and that there was a statistically significant change during the period of lockdown restrictions. The ability to measure this key facet of educational development has the potential to monitor teaching environments to ensure optimal learning conditions for all students. Further work is required to assess whether the impacts of lockdown restrictions are transient or persist beyond the period of teaching restrictions and to determine any association with academic outcomes.

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 have shown greater emotional reactions to a dominant language. We predicted that participants would feel more comfortable speaking their dominant language. Participants completed an origami task via Zoom with a confederate while communicating in English and Punjabi trials. The task was done in both languages and the order of languages was randomly assigned. Surprisingly, participants rated the Punjabi interactions more comfortable than the English interactions. Rapport was not correlated with proficiency in either language. One possible interpretation of these results is that communicating in the L1 elicits feelings of belongingness to a community, resulting in greater feelings of comfort. Future studies can test whether these results generalise to real-life interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Playing a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is no longer just a personal hobby, and the genre has evolved into a forum that encourages continual interaction among its users. To determine the motivation behind the user's participation of MMORPG, we suggest social comparison and self-expansion theories. Specifically, this study proposes a research model that comprehensively identifies the effects of psychological motives (social comparison motive and belongingness) and immersive gaming behaviors (social presence and flow experience) on behavioral factors (continuous play intention and loyalty). We analyzed 274 valid survey questionnaire responses. Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature that identifies the motives of users to play MMORPGs by applying social comparison and self-expansion theories to understand the factors that influence people to play MMORPGs. Furthermore, the study's results have practical implications for game developers, suggesting that they should develop content strategically to attract users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speculation about the effects of COVID-19, especially on youth social development, has been mixed. This study aimed to examine change in loneliness and belongingness into the first month of stay-at-home orders (January through April 2020). College students (N = 73, mean age = 19.03 years, SD = 1.44 years) enrolled in a life-span development course. Participants completed online surveys at the beginning and the end of the semester assessing change in well-being. Results revealed that loneliness scores significantly decreased, and belongingness scores significantly increased from Time 1 to Time 2. Among those who experienced increased belongingness, loneliness significantly decreased while there was not a significant change in loneliness among those who decreased in belongingness. These findings suggest that increasing belongingness should be a focus when trying to combat loneliness, especially in young adults experiencing a dramatic life event during a critical time for social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults often experience a loss of social relations and sense of belonging in later life, leading to the risk of social isolation. Municipal senior centres offer a potential site for intervention, as they provide social communities targeting older people. However, not all older people find it easy to access these social communities due to experiencing physical and/or psychosocial frailties and could therefore continue to experience a decline in social relations and sense of belonging, which potentiates poor physical and psychosocial health and well-being. To date, there are limited evidence-based interventions in Denmark. The present article describes the development of an intervention to increase belongingness and decrease social isolation among older people with frailties who attend Danish municipal senior centres. The development process was conducted with reference to the INDEX (IdentifyiNg and assessing different approaches to DEveloping compleX intervention) guidance. The development process resulted in a 6-month supportive intervention, consisting of four elements: skills development workshops for all staff members; a start conversation including frailty screening; allocation of a 'buddy' among existing service users; and monthly follow-up conversations with staff members. This theory-informed approach can progress to feasibility testing and outcome evaluation in order to generate an evidence base. Concurrently, the article reflects on current guidance for intervention development and how it may be used and optimized to strengthen developmental processes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored gender differences in job satisfaction and the role of employee activation determinants. A survey of 566 U.S. workers found partial support for prior findings, with men reporting higher job satisfaction than women. Regression analyses revealed employee activation variables, including engagement, meaning, belongingness, leadership, and career meaning, predicted satisfaction for both genders. However, certain activation aspects were more influential for women, supporting that nontraditional factors increasingly drive satisfaction. The findings reinforce the complex, evolving relationship between gender and satisfaction in today’s workplace. Organizations seeking to enhance satisfaction and performance should focus on cultivating high activation among all employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Student sense of belonging is a current challenge to higher education providers, with consistently declining ratings in national surveys. For universities globally, this is a concern linked to student attrition, student satisfaction, and student success. Importantly, low sense of belonging is typically associated with non-traditional learners, and building strategies to solve this challenge is essential for institutions to build equitable learning environments. This study seeks to understand the causal factors that predict when a student will belong using longitudinal data. Using the Australian national student experience survey data (n = 1,159,768 undergraduate and postgraduate students between 2013 and 2019), this study examines the predictors of a sense of belonging testing the accuracy of four machine learning models. The findings indicate overall educational experience, connection to students outside of class, and support to settle were key predictors, with skill development and curriculum supports a lesser predictor of a sense of belonging. Interestingly, identity and individual differences ratings seemed to have less importance than student experience factors. Implications for higher education policy developers and curriculum writers are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores internet gaming disorder (IGD) and the motivations behind excessive gaming. The author argues that the current understanding of motivation factors for IGD is insufficient and proposes an extended self-determination model that includes autonomy, competence, belongingness, and escapism. The author suggests that the need for attention and escapism are significant factors in IGD. The article discusses the development and reinforcement of IGD, its association with various needs and motivations, and the strong link between IGD and depression. It concludes by suggesting that addressing underlying needs through activities like sports may be beneficial in treating and preventing IGD. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Workplace thriving (WT), self-job crafting (SJC), and workplace belongingness (WB) have been shown to lead to positive outcomes for organizations and their employees. However, there seems to be a dearth of insights into the relationship between the three constructs, and non-existent in the context of non-family employees (NFEs) working in private family firms. Therefore, this study examines whether enabling NFEs to craft their own jobs leads them to reappraise their position in the organization, thus influencing both WB and WT. Design/methodology/approach: Leaning on the conservation of resources (COR) theory and with the support of the self-determination theory (SDT), a set of hypotheses is posited relating the dimensions of SJC (seeking resources, seeking challenges and job-demand reduction) to WT, through WB as a mediator. The hypotheses are tested through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) by collecting survey data from 256 NFEs working in private family firms in Oman. Findings: The results indicate that all three dimensions of job crafting have a positive influence on WB. In the case of direct effect on WT, only the relationship between seeking challenges and WT was significant. However, the relationships between all 3 dimensions of SJC and WT became significant through WB as mediator. Research limitations/implications: The implication of this study is that merely empowering non-family employees to craft their own jobs may not lead them to thrive in private family firms. However, if they appraise such empowerment as significant resource-gain that leads them to feel that they belong to the organization, then it is likely to enhance WT. Practical implications: This study presents evidence for private family firms that by emphasizing on creating a sense of belongingness among their non-family employees, they can create a workplace where such employees can thrive. Originality/value: Three novel contributions are presented through this research: (1) this appears to be the first study that integrates the COR theory with SDT to enrich the fragmented literature on NFEs in family firms by presenting an integrated framework that links SJC, WB and WT, (2) the study presents nuanced insights into the relationships between the dimensions of SJC and WT and (3) finally, this study provides evidence on the mediating role of WB between dimensions of SJC and WT, which seems to be overlooked in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals face both psychological and physical problems as they age. These psychological problems adversely affect the mental health of adult individuals. The purpose of this study is to test the serial mediating role of belongingness, hope, and harmony in life in the relationship between adult individuals' emotional intelligence and their level of flourishing. The research sample consists of a total of 461 Turkish adults, 125 female (27.1%) and 336 male (72.9%). The mean age of the participants is 48.03 years (age range = 40-60 years). Data were collected from the participants using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form, the Flourishing Scale, the General Belongingness Scale, the Dispositional Hope Scale, and the Harmony in Life Scale. All of these collected data were tested with chain mediation analysis. Gender, age, and socioeconomic status were added as covariance variables to the hypothesized model. The results showed significant positive relationships between emotional intelligence, flourishing, belongingness, hope, and harmony in life. In addition, the relationship between emotional intelligence and flourishing was found to have a chain-mediating role through belongingness, hope, and harmony in life. The results expand our understanding of the relationship between adult individuals' emotional intelligence and their level of flourishing.

Minority students' belongingness on campus has become an emergent topic in psychological research. Past research has particularly focused on belonging uncertainty as a potential explanation for impaired belongingness in minority students. While this represents an important perspective, we argue that students of certain minority groups may also be more likely to be confronted with actual ostracism experiences on campus. Using structural equation modelling, we investigated associations between minority status, ostracism, and belongingness in an aggregated sample derived from two longitudinal survey studies (N = 973 students) with two time points (beginning of the first and of the second semester) at a German university. We show that student characteristics that are likely more visible (migration background with family ties to the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, or Latin America) are linked to impaired belongingness both directly as well as indirectly through experiences of ostracism. In contrast, student characteristics that are less visible (such as parental education level) are directly associated with impaired belongingness but not with experiences of ostracism. Furthermore, we found that a migration background from the aforementioned regions indirectly predicted students' well-being, dropout intentions, and actual dropout via the experience of ostracism and subsequent impaired belongingness. For parental education level, we only found indirect effects on students' well-being via impaired belongingness. Our findings suggest that in addition to the existing focus on belonging uncertainty, there is a need to focus psychological research and educational practice on ostracism experiences that ethnic minority students face at university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong citizens' sense of belonging has gone through a period of fluctuation during the period of rapid socio‐political and legal change since the outbreak of the Anti‐Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in 2019. This study explored how multiple dimensions of the place attachment of Hong Kong citizens have been shaped by factors associated with these changes. Six socio‐political variables were incorporated into the three dimensions of the person–process–place (PPP) framework. Based on a representative survey of the local population (n = 768), we found that political inclination and identity were significantly associated with the sense of place, with citizens identifying as Chinese and aligning with the pro‐establishment camp showing higher levels of place attachment. Mobility was negatively associated with place attachment, whereas the correlation between attachment and perceptions of the law and legal system was positive. The study has implications for Hong Kong's current socio‐political and institutional environment and for emigration. It also demonstrates the wider applicability of the PPP framework for identifying and clarifying the various predictors of different dimensions of place attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that anthropomorphic products can compensate for the lack of belongingness and control. These findings suggest that anthropomorphic products may also protect against mortality salience, which has been shown in numerous research studies to be closely related to both belongingness and control motives. In two high-powered experiments, the present research aimed to investigate the effect of mortality salience on preference for anthropomorphic products and test the moderating role of three relevant factors, namely, belongingness, self-esteem, and attachment style. In the first study, we conducted a 2 (mortality salience: yes vs. no) x 2 (anthropomorphism: yes vs. no) between-subjects factorial design experiment. In the second study, we conducted a 2 (mortality salience: yes, no) x 2 (anthropomorphism: yes, no) mixed design experiment, in which we manipulated mortality salience between subjects and anthropomorphism within subjects. We found no evidence for the effect of mortality salience on preference for anthropomorphic products, nor for the moderating roles of belongingness, attachment style, or self-esteem. However, we found that anthropomorphism had a large, positive main effect on attitudes toward the product only when a non-anthropomorphic comparison was available. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]