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Black and Latino men are attending college at higher rates than ever before, yet their increased access has not led to increased success, as Black and Latino men face greater barriers to their success than do White and Asian men. The challenges to timely graduation for these populations are even greater at Christian colleges. The purpose of this study was to determine the campus experiences that contribute to the variation in thriving among Black and Latino men on Christian college campuses, after considering their demographic characteristics. Thriving is defined as students' vital engagement in the college experience intellectually, interpersonally, and psychologically. Using a sample of 369 Black and Latino men from 35 Christian colleges and universities, we conducted a hierarchical multiple regression analysis to determine the variance in thriving mean scores and scale scores contributed by each predictor variable. The final predictive model explained 53.5% of the variation in thriving within Black and Latino men in the aggregate. Because race was a significant predictor of thriving, separate regression equations were conducted on the 133 Black men and 236 Latino men. These models explained 67.1% of the variation in thriving among Black men and 53.5% of the variation among Latino men. The implications of the findings for Christian colleges and universities are outlined, particularly the role of spirituality, sense of community, and perceptions of institutional integrity in supporting Black and Latino men's ability to thrive in this environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is a pressing need for substance use services to know more about how to promote recovery from substance use problems, particularly in later life. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) is an important recovery dimension. This study aims to clarify in what ways PSOC and communities influence later life recovery processes. Method: A collaborative and deductive reflexive thematic approach was used to analyse 23 interviews with older adults in recovery from different substance use problems. Results: The findings suggest that PSOC and recovery in later life include multiple communities (relational, geographical, substance use-related, ideal and service-related) and affective states (PSOC and NPSOC). Older adults' recovery, moreover, can be described as personal and heterogenic (with respect to community relationships, individual needs, type of substance use problem, age of onset and meaningful activities). Conclusions: The findings confirm age of onset, type of substance use problem and community memberships as essential to later life recovery. They also supplement prior evidence on community resources and challenges to later life recovery. Importantly, the new findings extend and nuance current understandings of later life recovery. Taken together, the article illustrates MPSOC as a useful concept, with central practical and theoretical implications for later life recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities spend significant time and energy establishing a sense of community for their students. University personnel strive to increase school community ties for commuter students who travel back and forth from home to campus under the assumption that these increased ties will predict academic success. In an effort to understand those variables related to commuter student success, 335 participants responded to questions regarding commuter status, psychological sense of community with one’s school, psychological sense of community with one’s hometown, and academic self-handicapping. Results indicated that those with a strong sense of community with their hometown were less likely to engage in academic self-handicapping. Moreover, this relationship was moderated by commuting status, such that the effect was stronger for commuter students than for non-commuter students. Implications for commuter student success and future research are discussed.

Purpose There is a pressing need for substance use services to know more about how to promote recovery from substance use problems, particularly in later life. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) is an important recovery dimension. This study aims to clarify in what ways PSOC and communities influence later life recovery processes. Method A collaborative and deductive reflexive thematic approach was used to analyse 23 interviews with older adults in recovery from different substance use problems. Results The findings suggest that PSOC and recovery in later life include multiple communities (relational, geographical, substance use-related, ideal and service-related) and affective states (PSOC and NPSOC). Older adults’ recovery, moreover, can be described as personal and heterogenic (with respect to community relationships, individual needs, type of substance use problem, age of onset and meaningful activities). Conclusions The findings confirm age of onset, type of substance use problem and community memberships as essential to later life recovery. They also supplement prior evidence on community resources and challenges to later life recovery. Importantly, the new findings extend and nuance current understandings of later life recovery. Taken together, the article illustrates MPSOC as a useful concept, with central practical and theoretical implications for later life recovery.

Sense of Community is one of the most researched processes in Community Psychology. Since its initial formulation, belonging to broader social and geographical structures has been part of the definition of the concept. Research on the topic has tended to focus on the analysis of the environmental and collective factors that modulate the integration of individuals into groups and communities and has paid less attention to the individual aspects that guide the direct interactions that people have in these spaces. In this study we analyse the relationship between individual attachment styles and personality traits on the sense of community in 305 respondents from different neighborhoods in Seville (Spain) and Barranquilla (Colombia). The results show a modest predictive effect of secure attachment style and agreeableness mainly on the self and belonging dimensions of sense of community. These results show the need to take into account different levels of analysis in the assessment of belonging to community contexts and the usefulness of defining models that include the interaction of individual and contextual factors in their explanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential neighborhoods provide risk and protection contexts with important repercussions on subjective wellbeing and quality of life. However, previous research has paid scant attention to the psychological impact of relationships between neighborhoods. In this study we explore the frequentation of places of interaction in neighboring neighborhoods and its impact on the psychological sense of community. Through a case study of four neighborhoods in the city of Seville that differ in their income level, we verified that residents of vulnerable neighborhoods tend to use the services of neighboring neighborhoods with more resources, especially when they have attractive services and places. With a sample of 225 residents, we show that the psychological sense of community varies depending on the years of residence in the neighborhood, the socioeconomic level and the frequentation of places in the neighboring neighborhoods. The results could be useful in designing effective community development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community participation can be a potential strategy to increase the degree of the subjective wellbeing of immigrants within receiving societies. This study aims to analyze the relationship between immigrants' community participation and their subjective wellbeing, testing the two dimensions of sense of mattering (feeling valued and adding value) and psychological sense of community as potential mediators of this relationship. A total of 308 first‐generation immigrants living in Northern Italy filled out a questionnaire (45.1% were members of a migrant community‐based organization). We found that immigrants who are members of a migrant organization show a higher level of subjective wellbeing, sense of mattering, and psychological sense of community than those who are not members. We also found that the sense of adding value and the psychological sense of community serve as mediators of the relationship between community participation and subjective wellbeing. The findings suggest that active participation is positively related to immigrants' feeling useful and capable of contributing to society and their feeling of belonging, which, in turn, are positively related to their subjective wellbeing. Practical implications are presented, focusing on the need for generative social policies to move beyond the welfarist perspective in which immigrants only "receive" to embrace an active perspective in which immigrants can also "give." Highlights: Immigrant members in Migrant Community‐Based Organizations have higher subjective wellbeing in comparison to immigrant non‐members.Sense of adding value and sense of community act as mediators between participation and wellbeing.Generative social policies that embrace an active perspective where immigrants can "give" are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sudden COVID-19-induced transition from a physical university life to a virtual one was a painful one for many students. Social distancing measures mean more than a simple change from face-to-face to online education. This study investigates how different social aspects, such as the students' psychological sense of community, social capital, and use of social media, facilitated the perceived social support during the transition to the COVID-19 lockdown. Our results not only underline social media's role, but also indicate that the perceived social support, as well as the bonding and bridging social capital, were particularly relevant during the transition process. Our findings are aimed at organizational management by recommending actionable ways in which they could improve social support by organizing computer-supported social networks, social support predictors, and specialized interventions for students with less perceived social support. As such, the study provides unique insights into the COVID-19-induced lockdown situation among students, while offering a transition model that also generalizes to other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The Brief Sense of Community Scale is a widely accepted eight-item scale that measures the four dimensions of sense of community; however, the factor structure of the Japanese version of this scale has never been confirmed. In this study, we demonstrated the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Brief Sense of Community Scale. Methods After completing the back translation of the scale, a sample of 993 Japanese individuals completed the Japanese version of the Brief Sense of Community Scale. Results The results indicate that the Japanese version of the Brief Sense of Community Scale is comparable to the original scale and demonstrated adequate goodness-of-fit for both the four-factor and second-order models, which demonstrates its validity. Nonetheless, it remains necessary to consider possible cross-national cultural concerns when utilizing the scale. Conclusions The Japanese version of the Brief Sense of Community Scale will contribute toward the creation of a community in which all members feel comfortable.

Adult fans of K‐Pop band BTS are part of a diverse and global fandom that has an evident psychological sense of community associated with psychosocial benefits such as increases in wellbeing. This study aimed to investigate if cyberbullying victimization plays an influential role in the relationship of BTS fans' psychological sense of community and wellbeing using an online co‐designed survey administered to 183 participants. There was a significant positive relationship found between psychological sense of community and wellbeing. The results of a moderation analysis were interpreted as cyberbullying victimization not having an influential role in this positive relationship, despite cyberbullying typically having detrimental effects on interpersonal relationships and communities generally. It was concluded that BTS fans' psychological sense of community may be buffering against the adverse consequences of cyberbullying victimization and/or competent anti‐cyberbullying and online safety practices are being carried out in online BTS fan communities. Implications for anti‐cyberbullying researchers and cyberbullying prevention efforts are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are several studies reporting the beneficial role of sports in immigrant health, more research is needed to understand whether and how these activities can guide the psychological sense of community (SOC) and well‐being outcomes. This study aims at exploring how sport participation among immigrants contributes to developing their SOC and subjective well‐being. We analyzed the experiences of 17 immigrants participating in Balon Mundial (BM), an annual multicultural football tournament in Turin (Italy). A thematic deductive theory‐driven analysis was implemented based on in‐depth interviews. BM developed a psychological SOC by providing immigrants with a safe space—based on norms of accessibility and fair play—to mutually share traditions while forming positive and trusting bonds. All these dimensions of the tournament were connected to an enhancement of immigrants' subjective well‐being in terms of happiness, self‐care, sense of acceptance and cultural intelligence. Sport participation can sustain immigrants' psychological SOC and subjective well‐being under specific conditions: (a) when norms are developed based on inclusion; and (b) when a shared goal and history are built among participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying the multiple psychological sense of community concept (MPSOC), this study explored how emerging adults with substance use problems experience the influences of various senses of community and communities on their personal recovery processes. Semi‐structured interviews with 21 emerging adults from different urban contexts in Norway were analysed using a collaborative, seven‐step, deductive, and reflexive thematic approach. MPSOC is shown to be a key concept for achieving a broad, in‐depth understanding of emerging adults' senses of community and personal experiences of community influences on recovery processes from substance use. Positive and negative senses of community in geographical, relational, substance use‐related and ideal communities influence the potentials and challenges in emerging adults' recovery processes. Supportive and motivating community relationships, meaningful activities with peers, and distance from recovery‐impeding communities were identified as important recovery components. To promote recovery and prevent substance use in emerging adults, community approaches and tools applied in substance use treatment have to take into account and utilise multidimensional and age group‐specific aspects of belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media consumption has expanded through the popularity of the internet and one-person media channels such as YouTube and Instagram. The present study attempts to deepen our understanding of media consumption behavior. In particular, we explore how consumers' activities within social media platforms and motivations to use the venues lead to further brand-relevant behaviors such as purchase intention through various channels (i.e., brick-and-mortar, ecommerce, mobile apps). Theoretically grounded in the theory of psychological sense of community, this study examines consumers' motives for using media and perceived interactivity as antecedents of developing attitudinal/behavioral intention through the psychological sense of community. Data were collected through a quantitative survey (n = 277) and structural equation modeling was used to examine the suggested relationships. The findings of this study provide implications for digital marketing managers and fashion and beauty brand managers in the under-researched area of transactional commerce activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS) is a well‐validated measure of psychological sense of community (PSOC), but it has yet to be tested with Spanish‐speaking older adults. The current study uses data from face‐to‐face interviews with a non‐probability sample of 154 community‐dwelling older adults in Puerto Rico. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test three competing factor structures. We also tested internal consistency reliability and convergent validity. CFA results show the second‐order four‐factor model was the best fit (χ2(16) = 20.78, p = 0.187; CFI = 0.997, TLI = 0.995, SRMR = 0.026, RMSEA = 0.044, 90% CI [<0.001, 0.092]). The BSCS showed good reliability (α = 0.85) and was correlated in the expected direction with social network size (r = 0.34, p < 0.001) and loneliness (r = −0.27, p < 0.001). These findings indicate that the BSCS comprises the four domains (membership, needs fulfillment, emotional connection, and influence) from the original PSOC theory. These results inform theory development and can aid program planning, policy, and practice with older adults in Puerto Rico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This scoping review highlights practices & settings which foster sense of community for young people. • Six practices, centering social and emotional needs, are found to support sense of community. • Third places (community settings) are predominant settings in which sense of community is fostered. • Research which centers participation and stated needs of young people is a needed next step. Experiencing a psychological sense of community (PSOC) may buffer against adverse outcomes associated with oppression and exclusion for young people who endure social marginalization. Limited prior research has captured what, specifically, promotes PSOC among young people. METHODS: This scoping review systematically surveys literature (N = 13 articles) to understand what practices and settings foster PSOC among young people who experience social marginalization. RESULTS: Six broad practices are found to foster PSOC: adult/mentor support , peer/social support , youth power and influence , community participation/involvement, connecting by shared identity , and specific program features. Community settings are the predominant settings in which PSOC appears to be fostered. CONCLUSION: Practitioners who work with young people in community settings may consider foregrounding these practices within their work when seeking to foster a psychological sense of community. Future research should partner with young people to understand what they desire when seeking out supportive settings and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among young adults fof color, both sense of community and ethnic identity, as developmental processes, have been associated with wellness, empowerment, and civic action. Additional research is needed that provides empirical support for the connection between psychological sense of community and ethnic identity on outcomes that relate to human development such as intrapersonal psychological empowerment, civic engagement, and depression symptoms. The current study of young adults of color (N = 243; 70% Hispanic/Chicano(a)/Spanish and 10% American Indian/Native American; 70% female) investigates heterogeneity according to dimensions of psychological sense of community and the ethnic identity construct. Latent profile analyses (LPA) were conducted. Using LPA, five profile groups emerged. Profile group differences were present on reported levels of intrapersonal psychological empowerment, civic engagement, and depression symptoms. Majority of sample participants were classified with moderate to high psychological sense of community and ethnic identity. Findings provide insights for efforts on developing community belongingness based on ethnic group identity and engaging young adults in civic life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological sense of community is defined as feelings of belongingness and a shared belief that community members will meet one another's needs. Psychological sense of community has four dimensions: membership, influence, needs fulfillment, and emotional connection. In this study, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the first and second‐order factor structure of the brief sense of community scale (BSCS) between male and female Hispanic/Latinx adolescents from an urban community (N = 947). To help validate the BSCS model, the second‐order factor model was tested with regression to predict the measures of intrapersonal psychological empowerment and ethnic identity, as constructs conceptually related to psychological sense of community. Findings support that: (1) psychological sense of community can be measured through the BSCS and as a four‐factor model among Hispanic/Latinx youth, supporting McMillan and Chavis's (1986) original theoretical discussions; (2) while no differences between genders were present at the model‐level, there was path‐specific variation; and (3) intrapersonal psychological empowerment and ethnic identity were associated with psychological sense of community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do people describe the psychological sense of community (PSOC) in the present day ideological climate of globalising neo-liberalism, assuming that people are essentially individualistic, that solidarity, social commitment, and citizenship are not natural dispositions, as we all are the lonely citizen? This issue is addressed by a mixed-methods study using semi-structured interviews with two age groups—young and older people—from two different cultures—India (Mumbai) and Norway (Oslo). This two by two design gives the opportunity to analyse people’s meaning systems of PSOC, asking; is there a core meaning system of PSOC shared by people within as well as across cultures? Belongingness and citizenship are continuously formed and negotiated, just at the intersection of two dimensions: culture and historical time. The young and older adult informants often live in different “historical times.” The meaning systems of PSOC were explored and compared by language analyses of words used by the informants. Text search queries were made for 69 words. “Help,”, “care,” “different,” “problem,” and “family” were identified as central for further in-depth qualitative analyses. The word, “family” demonstrated high frequencies of use across sub-samples. There was nothing more relevant for the groups than the family when thinking of PSOC, revealing almost a “prior to society perspective.” PSOC is about being part of families. Simultaneously, we are members of other communities: schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, cities and nations. The informants mentioned such communities, but not often. Feeling part of the family, helping and caring not only the family but also your neighbourhood, local community, or national and global communities are particularly necessary today, as we live in a time where communities, societies, and nations across the world are heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this crisis, it is vital that nobody forgets that we are national and transnational citizens and part of many interrelated social systems. This study points out how community psychology and the applied social sciences can work to strengthen the feelings of connections to other communities, societies, and nations outlining and co-creating transformative multi-level interventions of public policy programmes of inclusion and “we-ness.”

How do people describe the psychological sense of community (PSOC) in the present day ideological climate of globalising neo-liberalism, assuming that people are essentially individualistic, that solidarity, social commitment, and citizenship are not natural dispositions, as we all are the lonely citizen? This issue is addressed by a mixed-methods study using semi-structured interviews with two age groups—young and older people—from two different cultures—India (Mumbai) and Norway (Oslo). This two by two design gives the opportunity to analyse people's meaning systems of PSOC, asking; is there a core meaning system of PSOC shared by people within as well as across cultures? Belongingness and citizenship are continuously formed and negotiated, just at the intersection of two dimensions: culture and historical time. The young and older adult informants often live in different "historical times." The meaning systems of PSOC were explored and compared by language analyses of words used by the informants. Text search queries were made for 69 words. "Help,", "care," "different," "problem," and "family" were identified as central for further in-depth qualitative analyses. The word, "family" demonstrated high frequencies of use across sub-samples. There was nothing more relevant for the groups than the family when thinking of PSOC, revealing almost a "prior to society perspective." PSOC is about being part of families. Simultaneously, we are members of other communities: schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, cities and nations. The informants mentioned such communities, but not often. Feeling part of the family, helping and caring not only the family but also your neighbourhood, local community, or national and global communities are particularly necessary today, as we live in a time where communities, societies, and nations across the world are heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this crisis, it is vital that nobody forgets that we are national and transnational citizens and part of many interrelated social systems. This study points out how community psychology and the applied social sciences can work to strengthen the feelings of connections to other communities, societies, and nations outlining and co-creating transformative multi-level interventions of public policy programmes of inclusion and "we-ness." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on McMillan and Chavis's psychological sense of community framework among southwestern community coalition members (N = 18), data were examined for narratives of how psychological sense of community and experiences of community manifest among coalition members. We were also interested in knowing how coalition members make meaning of social change. Findings illustrate that dimensions of psychological sense of community (e.g., membership, emotional connection, needs' fulfillment, and influence) are important in how members made meaning of community needs and their own participation in the coalition. Implications are put forward for theory and community programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Discrimination and prejudice have significant implications for individuals and communities and are prevalent throughout the world towards marginalised groups. This study investigated the role of psychological sense of community (PSOC), values of self‐transcendence and openness‐to‐change, and demographic variables, with attitudes towards two different groups in Australia. Method: A convenience sample of adults living in Australia (N = 396) was randomly assigned to complete one of two online surveys; reporting on their attitudes towards Australia's First Nations People (N = 198), or towards people seeking asylum (N = 198). The study assessed the extent to which a PSOC (in reference to local, national, and global communities), self‐transcendence, and openness‐to‐change, predicted attitudes towards the two groups. Results: Self‐transcendence and psychological sense of global community consistently predicted attitudes towards both groups, with psychological sense of global community partially mediating the relationship between self‐transcendence and attitudes. Bivariately, those holding a stronger local psychological sense of community reported more positive attitudes towards people seeking asylum, whereas those holding a stronger psychological sense of national community reported more positive attitudes towards Australia's First Nations People. However, in multivariable regression models with self‐transcendence and demographic characteristics, only a higher psychological sense of national community significantly predicted more negative attitudes towards people seeking asylum. Conclusions: This research suggests that where people have a strong sense they are part of a global community they hold more positive attitudes towards people from various cultures both near and far. The research has implications for social cohesion and social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the associations among psychological sense of community (PSoC), psychological empowerment (PE), and relational structure with indicators of centrality and cohesion in egocentric and sociocentric networks when analyzed at different levels. A multicase analysis was used (four developed in Colombia and one in Spain) in which 458 people participated in five studies conducted in organizational and community contexts of vulnerable urban and rural areas. The results suggest that PSoC and PE are intertwined processes whose association is accentuated in organizational contexts. However, the relationships between relational context and PSoC and PE vary notably depending on (a) the type of relationship evaluated, (b) the focus of the study (individual/egocentric vs. group/sociocentric) and the type of indicator used to assess the relational context (centrality vs. structural cohesion). Findings are discussed to understand the role that social bonds play in the development of PSoC and in the ability of subjects to empower themselves in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the determinants of the psychological sense of community (PSoC) is of particular importance to community interventions. A cross‐sectional study involving 778 residents in an Italian local community explored through a mediation model the effects on PSoC of an individual cultural variable that has been scarcely investigated in PSoC research, that is, values–specifically, universalism–, and a perceived contextual variable, that is, the assessment of community services (a component of residential satisfaction). Results showed that universalism increased PSoC both directly and indirectly, having an effect also on the evaluation of community services, which, in comparison to values, showed a greater direct impact on PSoC. Limitations and implications for community interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sense of community is one of the fundamental concepts of community psychology. According to Sarason (1974), it is defined as the perception of belonging, interdependence, and mutual commitment, gathering all individuals within a community. The model that has been defined by McMillan and Chavis (1986) comprises four dimensions: membership status, integration and satisfaction of needs, influence, and shared emotional relationships. The study hereby presented has been developed through a multimethod approach and has aimed to understand in which way the sense of community emerges in volunteers (adult leaders) of corpo nacional de escutas (CNE; faith-based scouting movement of Catholic inspiration), in its four dimensions. Seven semistructured interviews, to key informants of the association, were conducted, and the Sense of Community Index 2 (SCI-2; Chavis, Lee, & Acosta, 2008) administered to 811 participants of the above-mentioned Association. The aim of the study was to understand the dynamic relations among the different elements of the sense of community, and to contribute to the conceptual development of "sense of community." The results have revealed that the factorial structure of the sense of community is in accordance with the proposed model by the authors, presenting a multidimensional structure. The key informants have identified diversified elements of the sense of community. It has also been demonstrated that the sense of community of the participants is positive in all dimensions and in an overall perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this investigation is to examine heterogeneity and membership with subgroups of cognitive empowerment among youth of color. Within this heterogeneity, this study hopes to identify the relationship each of these subgroups of youth have with conceptually related variables including intrapersonal psychological empowerment, psychological sense of community (SOC), and ethnic identity. The participants were 383 urban youth of color in grades 9 through 12. The results showed significant variation between profile groups of youth and the association higher levels of cognitive empowerment have with intrapersonal psychological empowerment, psychological SOC, and ethnic identity; albeit, some variation was present. This study is explorative in nature and an effort to highlight the complexity of empowerment and cognitive empowerment. Findings are significant as these outcomes provide valuable insight into the intricacies of cognitive empowerment and highlight the importance of youth experiencing high levels of cognitive empowerment on domains related to civic engagement and critical awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is one setting which aims to provide stability and community to those who have experienced homelessness. • PSH has not been widely studied with young adults. • This paper uses mixed method to explore how young adult residents experience psychological sense of community (PSOC) before and after moving into PSH. • We find that building community takes time and requires opportunities for voices to be heard, along with ongoing personal growth (often related to substance use recovery). • Future PSH settings for young people should consider how to support residents in their individual journeys, and in building community. Amidst chronic stressors and ongoing instability, many young people who have experienced homelessness and housing instability find communities and settings which offer support and care. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is one setting which aims to provide stability and community to those who have experienced homelessness, but it has not been widely studied with young adults (ages 18–25 upon moving into PSH). This paper employs a longitudinal convergent mixed methods approach – with quantitative and qualitative survey data over 1.5 years – to explore how young adult residents (N = 27 at T1; N = 20 at T2, N = 13 at T3) experience sense of community before and after moving into PSH. Using McMillan and Chavis' (1986) four-part Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC) framework to frame data collection and analysis, we find that residents' sense of community is shaped by an ongoing negotiation of personal and collective needs. Building community takes time and requires opportunities for voices to be heard (and shape change), along with ongoing personal growth – especially related to substance use recovery. Our findings offer insights for future PSH settings for young people – as well as other residential and community settings which aim to support young people. We suggest the need for future research which explores the tension of policy decision making, about substance use for example, in low-barrier support services like PSH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is a pressing need for substance use services to know more about how to promote recovery from substance use problems, particularly in later life. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) is an important recovery dimension. This study aims to clarify in what ways PSOC and communities influence later life recovery processes., Method: A collaborative and deductive reflexive thematic approach was used to analyse 23 interviews with older adults in recovery from different substance use problems., Results: The findings suggest that PSOC and recovery in later life include multiple communities (relational, geographical, substance use-related, ideal and service-related) and affective states (PSOC and NPSOC). Older adults' recovery, moreover, can be described as personal and heterogenic (with respect to community relationships, individual needs, type of substance use problem, age of onset and meaningful activities)., Conclusions: The findings confirm age of onset, type of substance use problem and community memberships as essential to later life recovery. They also supplement prior evidence on community resources and challenges to later life recovery. Importantly, the new findings extend and nuance current understandings of later life recovery. Taken together, the article illustrates MPSOC as a useful concept, with central practical and theoretical implications for later life recovery.

Psychological sense of community (SOC) has been examined minimally among the youth of color, and as a mediating variable, as well as construct implicated in promoting wellness. Using data from a sample of 401 students of color (Mage = 16.55, standard deviation = 1.31; 54.7% female; 57% Hispanic/Latina[o]) from an underserved northeastern US urban community, we examined the mediating relationship of psychological SOC between social support, participation in youth‐based community programs, and outcomes including school belongingness, risk behaviors such as substance use and violent behavior, and psychological symptoms, including depression. Results indicated that access to social supports and youth‐based community programs was negatively associated with risk behaviors and experiencing depressive symptoms, through both psychological SOC and school belongingness. Implications include the need for community‐based activities for youth that not only foster support but encourage a positive psychological SOC and in‐turn offset negative developmental trajectories and risk behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Variations in rural nurses' sense of community and engagement in rural communities are poorly understood, although there is evidence that these are linked to community cohesion and perceived community resilience. Objective The aim of our research was to develop descriptive profiles of rural nurses who exhibit a sense of community and community engagement at low, average, and high levels, based on occupational, personal, community, and regional characteristics. These results were linked to levels of cohesion and resilience. Design A survey questionnaire, including established scales, demographic information, and information about rural nursing practice was administered to rural nurses. Settings Rural communities in all provinces and territories in Canada outside the commuting zone of urban areas with 10,000 or more inhabitants. Participants Multi-level systematic stratified sampling was employed for the national survey. A subsample of 2116 Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Licensed Practical Nurses comprised the participants for this analysis. Methods The analysis was conducted in two stages: (1) in the first subset, those (n = 2116) whose primary work community was rural, remote, or rurban with less than 10,000 inhabitants were grouped into a nine-group typology based on low, average, and high tertiles of Psychological Sense of Community and Community Engagement. The second subset (n = 993) represented those in three groups: low-low, average-average, and high-high scores on the two indices. Significant differences between the three groups were identified based on occupational, personal, community, and regional characteristics. Chi Square, ANOVA, and correlation tests were applied as required. Results Nurses with low scores on both Psychological Sense of Community and Community Engagement were more likely to be from larger communities, single or divorced and living and working in the North. Those with average scores on both scales have been in their nursing positions for more than 20 years, are middle aged and are satisfied with their home community. Nurses in the third group have high scores on both indicators; they are more likely to be from a smaller childhood communities, married or living common-law, and are in the late middle age group. Conclusions By focusing on the key variables or traits of nurses, modifiable recruitment and retention practices can be implemented. For example, it is important to recruit nurses who are from smaller communities. Other initiatives for nurses include matching community activities with the age and stage of the family and developing a welcoming strategy for the workplace and community for newly arrived nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sense of Community is one of the fundamental concepts of Community Psychology. According to Seymour Sarason (1974), it is defined as the perception of belonging, interdependence and mutual commitment, gathering all individuals within a community. The model that has been defined by McMillan and Chavis (1986) comprises four dimensions: member status, integration and satisfaction of needs, influence and shared emotional relations. The research has sought to develop adequate measures for the psychological sense of community and in the present article it is the objective of the authors to present a translation and cultural adaptation of the SCI-2 developed by Chavis, Lee and Acosta (2008) to an associative context centered on its members Volunteers (n=811). The results have revealed that the factorial structure of the Sense of Community is in accordance with the proposed model by the authors, presenting a multi-dimensional structure and only 2 of the 24 items of the original scale were eliminated and its relevance to the original one is discussed. The resulting model allows analyzing and discussing community feeling in the context studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Community psychology is central to understanding how immigrants and more established residents of their new settings join together to develop a shared sense of community and membership. In our present study, we explored how newer (i.e., first‐ and second‐generation immigrants) and more established community members form multiple positive psychological sense of community (PSOC) with one another. We conducted a multinational, qualitative study of PSOC through interviews with 201 first‐ and second‐generation immigrants and third generation or more “receiving community members” in three contexts (Baltimore‐Washington corridor of the U.S.; Torino, Italy; Lecce, Italy). Results indicated numerous similarities among the ways in which participants constructed PSOC in shared and nonshared communities, regardless of immigration/citizenship status, length of community residence, city, country, age, or gender. Small, proximal, and salient communities were often particularly important to building positive PSOC, which was formed around diverse membership boundaries. As intersectional beings, members converged and diverged on many characteristics, providing multiple opportunities for members to bring diversity to their communities while sharing other characteristics deemed essential to membership. Nonetheless, findings point to significant, structural challenges rooted in power and privilege that must be confronted to bridge the community‐diversity dialectic and build strong, shared sense of community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationship between students' psychological sense of community in the classroom, relational and physical aggression, victimization, exclusivity, and prosocial behavior. Seventy-four children from a rural middle school in the southeastern United States participated in this study. Findings indicate that students' psychological sense of community in the classroom was positively correlated to students' prosocial skills and negatively correlated to students' relational victimization and relational aggression generated as a reaction to perceived or actual aggression. We also found that females reported higher levels of both prosocial behavior and relational victimization. Finally, our findings suggest that friendship exclusivity is positively associated with relational aggression and relational victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report the development and robust evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Sense of Community Descriptors Scale, which, as one of the few scales that measures the psychological sense of community regardless of context, can be utilized in all kinds of communities for assessing community intervention effectiveness. The Sense of Community Descriptors Scale uses a semi-projective method in the form of a semantic differential. Contrary to the majority of sense of community measures stemming from the theory of McMillan and Chavis, the Sense of Community Descriptors Scale is based on Peck's theory. It measures the sense of community in a real and ideal community. The degree of differences between them is then used to determine the level of satisfaction. The reliability of the scale was high, and its convergent validity was supported by the correlation of the Perceived Sense of Community Scale and the Brief Sense of Community Scale. Factor analysis showed three dimensions (Acceptance, Dynamics, and Openness). The Sense of Community Descriptors Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the level of psychological sense of community beyond the specific context of such community and in various multilayer communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageing populations across Europe are increasing. Communities have an important role in not only engaging this segment of the population but also in helping them to make them feel “part of something” (local or global) in order to favour their psychological well-being. The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of volunteering and being connected in one’s community on well-being. The present paper will test an older volunteers’ psychological well-being model. 143 older volunteers completed measures of religiousness, sense of global responsibility, psychological sense of community, generativity, motivation to volunteer and a profile of mood states. Data show that a psychological sense of community has a key role in the study of older volunteerism due to its impact on well-being. Service agencies and administrations can develop campaigns to sustain older volunteerism in order to increase well-being and reduce social costs.

The sense of community is one of the fundamental concepts of Community Psychology. According to Seymour Sarason (1974), it is defined as the perception of belonging, interdependence and mutual commitment, gathering all individuals within a community. The model that has been defined by McMillan and Chavis (1986) comprises four dimensions: member status, integration and satisfaction of needs, influence and shared emotional relations. The study hereby presented has been developed through a multimethod approach and has aimed to understand in which way the sense of community shows up in volunteers (adult leaders) of Corpo Nacional de Escutas (Portuguese Catholic Scouting), namely in its four dimensions. Seven semistructured interviews, to key informants of the Association, were conducted, and a scale regarding the sense of community (SCI-2) to 811 participants of the above-mentioned Association was implemented, as tools. The aim was to understand the dynamic relations between the different elements of the sense of community concerned by the study, as well as to validate the measure used and to contribute to the conceptual development of "sense of community". The results have revealed that the factorial structure of the sense of community is in accordance with the proposed model by the authors, presenting a multidimensional structure. The key informants have identified diversified elements of the sense of community. It has also been demonstrated that the sense of community of the participants is positive viewing all dimensions and in a global way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report the development and robust evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Sense of Community Descriptors Scale, which, as one of the few scales that measures the psychological sense of community regardless of context, can be utilized in all kinds of communities for assessing community intervention effectiveness. The Sense of Community Descriptors Scale uses a semi-projective method in the form of a semantic differential. Contrary to the majority of sense of community measures stemming from the theory of McMillan and Chavis, the Sense of Community Descriptors Scale is based on Peck’s theory. It measures the sense of community in a real and ideal community. The degree of differences between them is then used to determine the level of satisfaction. The reliability of the scale was high, and its convergent validity was supported by the correlation of the Perceived Sense of Community Scale and the Brief Sense of Community Scale. Factor analysis showed three dimensions (Acceptance, Dynamics, and Openness). The Sense of Community Descriptors Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the level of psychological sense of community beyond the specific context of such community and in various multilayer communities.