Associations between resilience, community belonging, and social participation among community-dwelling older adults: results from the Eastern Townships Population Health Survey

Objective : To examine the associations between resilience, community belonging, and social participation, and the moderating effect of resilience on the association between community belonging and social participation among community-dwelling older adults. Design : Cross-sectional; secondary analyses of the Eastern Townships Population Health Survey. Setting : Community. Participants : A sample (N=4541) of women (n=2485) and men (n=2056) aged ≥60 years was randomly selected according to area. Most participants had <14 years of schooling, owned their dwelling, were retired, had 1 or 2 chronic conditions, and did not have depressive symptoms. Interventions : Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures : Self-reported data on age, education, depressive symptoms, social participation, community belonging, and resilience were collected by phone interviewer–administered questionnaire. A social participation scale measured frequency of participation in 8 community activities. A 4-point Likert scale ranging from “very strong” to “very weak” estimated sense of belonging to the local community. Social participation and sense of belonging questions came from Statistics Canada surveys. Resilience was assessed with the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, capturing the ability to cope with adversity. Results : Controlling for age, education, and psychological distress, greater resilience and community belonging were associated with greater social participation among women (R2=.13; P<.001) and men (R2=.09; P<.001). The association between community belonging and social participation varied as a function of resilience, especially in men. Greater community belonging further enhanced social participation, especially among women (P=.03) and men (P<.01) with greater resilience (moderator effect). Conclusions : Resilience moderates the association between community belonging and social participation among community-dwelling older women and, especially, men. Interventions targeting social participation should consider the potential impact of resilience on improving community belonging. Future studies should investigate why resilience moderates associations between community belonging and social participation, and how to enhance resilience among older adults

EXPLORING BISEXUAL-IDENTIFIED PERSONS EXPERIENCES OF BELONGING

Belonging is a basic and fundamental human need (Baumeister, & Leary, 1995) that is associated with psychosocial health (Cohen, 2004). Unfortunately, community belonging is a challenge for those with a bisexual identity. Binegativity, minority stress, and the invisibility of bisexual-identities may interfere with attempts to develop a sense of community belonging (Bradford, 2004). Little systematic research has examined bisexual-identified people’s perceptions and experiences of belonging to a community. This project addressed the question, “What are bisexual individuals’ experiences of community belonging/social exclusion?” Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 12 bisexual-identified persons. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2006). Findings indicated that bisexual-identified persons encountered stigma and at times concealed their sexuality in order to create community belonging. However, risking authenticity, rather than concealing identity, seemed to help participants deal with stigma and develop more meaningful community belonging. Bisexual-identified persons who risk disclosing their identity and develop a sense of authenticity may increase their opportunities for community belonging. These findings are discussed in relation to their implications for counseling bisexual-identified persons and educating the communities in which they live

Why Should Men and Women Marry and Have Children? Parenthood, Marital Status and Self-perceived Stress among Canadians

Based on the Canadian Community and Health Survey (2000), this study examines the stress perceived by parents and non-parents across marital statuses, adjusting for for age, education, work, income, and sense of community belonging. Results show that fatherhood increases perceived stress in all marital statuses, particularly among singles. Motherhood does not affect perceived stress among married or cohabitating women but single and postmarried mothers endure appreciably higher levels of stress. Interactions between working and parental or marital statuses are also observed. The sense of community belonging appears as an important coping mechanism lowering stress levels. Results are discussed in the context of changing familial roles

Conscious community: belonging, identities and networks in local communities’ response to flooding.

One response to the increasing incidence of flooding in the UK has been to shift more responsibility towards local communities, and to suggest that they become increasingly involved in the Flood Risk Management process and do more to help themselves. Whilst the more recent vulnerability perspective highlights the importance of understanding the social aspects of disasters, relatively little is yet known about responses and impacts within the local community. The term ‘community’ is itself highly contested within the social sciences and this should be seen in the context of claims by some that the ‘local’ is being lost to the ‘global’. Qualitative research with urban and rural flooded communities in northern England found that the majority of the residents interviewed did identify with their locality and articulated a sense of belonging or attachment; however this could be expressed in a number of different ways. The creation of a local community no longer appeared to arise naturally from residing in the same location but required both reflexivity and active efforts by residents. The research therefore suggests that the local community can be understood as a ‘conscious community’. These communities were formed around different shared identities but dense, localised networks remained central to conceptions. Yet, in an increasingly mobile and interconnected world these networks had to be consciously created and maintained. Residents choosing to engage in community construction adopted different strategies to enable local people to meet one another and therefore local communities could take very varied forms. The local structures created by residents and the network patterns this then produced largely determined residents’ ability to respond in a collective way to flooding. The research suggests that local community has the potential to offer a way to help people cope more effectively with flooding and other disasters, but only by moving beyond idealised notions of the ‘traditional community’ which fail to adequately reflect these complex and diverse communities. To support and enhance the ability of local residents to come together to cope with flooding we need to engage with the messy, complexity of conscious communities

Communicating for Equality: How Inclusive Communication Affects Political Participation within Local Communities

This study will examine the relationship among inclusive communication, sense of community belonging, and political participation within local communities. Communication from organizations such as local advocacy and local, mainstream media that contains content acknowledging relevant topics for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community members. I explore ways that Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT) can be applied to organizational inclusive communication’s influence on community marginalized members’ sense of community belonging and political participation. CIT has been applied to the study of racial and economic minority communities in past research in the past, but this study applies CIT to the study of the marginalized LGBT community. The purpose of this research is to discover communication resources that strengthen the likelihood of pro-LGBT political participation in both LGBT community members and heterosexuals. Sense of belonging is a predictor of community members’ active engagement in their communities in CIT and civic participation research. Communication from local organizations and media has not been described as a direct influencer of communication but as more of an influencer of sense of community belonging, which is then predicted to effect community engagement. Another purpose of my study is to see if CIT can be applied to political outcomes. I will also attempt to discover whether communication still has indirect effects on engagement when used in a political context

Identity management and community belonging: the coming out careers of young disabled LGBT+ persons

Coming out is best viewed in terms of a career with no discernible endpoint. Popular discourse and stage-based models which emphasise a linear phased approach tend not to accurately represent contemporary coming out experiences. Using data from interviews, focus groups and interactive workshops, this article explores the perceptions and strategies towards coming out by young disabled LGBT+ people. I suggest that viewing coming out careers as an identity management technique helps to shed light upon the relationship between intersecting identities and helps to examine the negotiations taking place, whilst teasing out how such identities impact and inform one another against the backdrop of misunderstanding. The stories of the participants also show that the framing of coming out as an imperative to living honestly and authentically was not a common experience. However, coming out to feel a sense of belonging within communities remains central to the perceived benefits. Coming out for the participants reveals tensions between their identities based on ableism and heteronormativity that led them to reconsider the viability and benefits of coming out. However, the participants revealed a challenging two-way relationship between the LGBT+ community and them as disabled people

Urban blue space renovation and local resident and visitor well-being:A case study from Plymouth, UK

Observational studies have suggested that people with better access to attractive, safe, and inclusive blue spaces enjoy higher psychological well-being, with particular benefits for those living in deprived urban areas. However, intervention studies are scarce. To help bridge this gap we conducted a repeat cross-sectional study exploring local resident and visitor well-being before and after a small-scale intervention aimed at improving the quality of an urban beach area in a deprived neighbourhood in Plymouth, United Kingdom. Physical alterations were co-created with local stakeholders and residents, and accompanied by a series of on-site community events. Key outcomes were self-reported psychological well-being, satisfaction with personal safety and community belonging, and perceptions of site quality. Adjusted linear models showed that positive well-being (B = 7.42; 95% CI = 4.18–10.67) and life satisfaction (B = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.11–0.70) were both higher after the intervention compared to before, with associations for life satisfaction stronger among those who visited the site in the last four weeks. Associations with positive well-being were partially mediated by greater satisfaction with community belonging; and associations with life satisfaction were partially and independently mediated by greater satisfaction with personal safety and community belonging. Although caution needs to be taken due to the repeat cross-sectional design and the sampling of site visitors as well as local residents, the findings support the idea that environmental improvements to urban blue spaces can foster better psychological well-being, and underline the importance of community involvement in the process

Using A Community Garden Program to Promote Positive Youth Development

Wayne County 4-H used grant funding to develop a community garden to encourage youth in agriculture and promote positive youth development in the county. Positive outcomes of the garden include increased sense of community belonging, knowledge of local agriculture, and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables

Re-telling, Re-cognition, Re-stitution: Sikh Heritagization in Canada

In Canada, the language and techniques of museums and heritage sites have been adopted and adapted by some immigrant communities to make sense of their place within their new country. For some groups, “heritagization” is a new value, mobilized for diverse purposes. New museums and heritage sites serve as a form of ethnic media, becoming community gathering points, taking on pedagogical roles, enacting citizenship, and enabling strategic assertion of identity in the public sphere. This article explores this enactment of heritage and citizen-membership through a case study, the Sikh Heritage Museum, developed in Abbotsford by Indo-Canadians. Established in 2011 in an historic and still-functioning gurdwara, the museum is an example of a community’s desire to balance inward-looking historical consciousness and community belonging, with outward-looking voice, recognition and acceptance by mainstream Canadian society. The museum has also become a site of tension between top-down and bottom-up initiatives, where amateur and local expressions butt up against professionalized government activities such as the Canadian Historical Recognition Program that seek to insert formal recognition and social inclusion policies. The article considers the effects of this resource and power differential on the museum’s development, and on the sensibilities and practices of immigrant “heritage” and “citizenship” in Canada