Differences In Social Integration Research Articles

Diverse College Students' Cultural Background and College Persistence

Tinto (1975) created a college persistence model, emphasizing institutional academic and social integration, that continues to guide U.S. university retention strategies. This longitudinal study followed 584 college Freshman from diverse backgrounds, testing for group differences in the relationship that Tinto’s key constructs have on college persistence, over time, for U.S.-White, U.S.-minority, and immigrant-origin groups. We found significant positive associations between Academic Integration and Intentions to Persist for all ethnic groups, but group differences in Social Integration and Intentions to Persist. Additionally, Intentions to Persist was a significant predictor of actual persistence for all groups, suggesting predictive power overall.

Social media and social wellbeing in later life.

Social wellbeing is important to health, but maintaining social relations often becomes difficult in later life due to retirement, chronic disease, and the death of spouses and friends. Social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, present accessible and low-cost communication technologies that have been demonstrated to enhance feelings of social connection and reduce loneliness in younger age groups. This exploratory study uses a four-week social media training workshop as an intervention in a randomised controlled study to examine whether similar social benefits might be realised for those at older ages, aged 65+ years. Social wellbeing measures of social capital, loneliness, social connectedness and social provisions were examined, revealing only small differences in social integration. As these findings seemingly contradict studies conducted with younger persons, the contexts of social media use in older adulthood are discussed, along with proposals for future research directions.

Social Networks, Support, and Depressive Symptoms: Gender Differences among Clergy

This study extends social-psychological research on social networks and mental health by examining cross-gender differences in social integration and depression among United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. Using data from the fifth wave of the Clergy Health Initiative panel survey, we used cross-group models to examine the association of depressive symptoms and network in-degree, out-degree, and perceived social isolation among men (N = 1,145) and women (N = 535) clergy. The analysis reveals gendered differences in this association. Specifically, out-degree bore a significant negative relationship with depressive symptoms for men but not women. Feeling socially isolated had a significant positive association with depression in both men and women.

Social disadvantage and borderline personality disorder: A study of social networks.

Examining differences in social integration, social support, and relationship characteristics in social networks may be critical for understanding the character and costs of the social difficulties experienced of borderline personality disorder (BPD). We conducted an ego-based (self-reported, individual) social network analysis of 142 participants recruited from clinical and community sources. Each participant listed the 30 most significant people (called alters) in their social network, then rated each alter in terms of amount of contact, social support, attachment strength and negative interactions. In addition, measures of social integration were determined using participant's report of the connection between people in their networks. BPD was associated with poorer social support, more frequent negative interactions, and less social integration. Examination of alter-by-BPD interactions indicated that whereas participants with low BPD symptoms had close relationships with people with high centrality within their networks, participants with high BPD symptoms had their closest relationships with people less central to their networks. The results suggest that individuals with BPD are at a social disadvantage: Those with whom they are most closely linked (including romantic partners) are less socially connected (i.e., less central) within their social network. (PsycINFO Database Record

Social Integration and Sleep Disturbance: A Gene-Environment Interaction Study

Objective: Low levels of perceived social integration, or loneliness, are associated with increased risk for a range of poor health outcomes. Sleep disturbance plays a central role in the evolutionary theory of loneliness, which provides a mechanistic account of how low levels of social integration may negatively impact health. No studies, however, have examined whether the association between social integration and sleep disturbance is consistent with a causal effect after accounting for genes that are common to both variables.Method: Using twin data (N = 905 twin pairs) from the nationally-representative Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey, I evaluated a series of bivariate twin models exploring whether the phenotypic association between low social integration and sleep disturbance can be explained by shared genetics. In addition, the current study specified a series of quantitative models for studying gene x environment (G X E) interactions to determine whether the genetic and environmental influences on sleep disturbance differ as a function of social integration.Results: The phenotypic association between social integration and sleep disturbance was fully accounted for by genes that are common between the two variables, suggesting that within-twin pair differences in social integration do not exert a causal influence on sleep disturbance. Social integration, however, moderated the non-shared environmental influence on sleep disturbances, with the greatest environmental influences observed at the lowest levels of social integration.Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that an essential feature of the evolutionary model of loneliness may need refinement or elaboration. The moderation findings are discussed in terms of the fit with a stress-buffering model of social support in which environmental influences on sleep disturbance are strongest when social resources are low.

Explanations for Special Neighbourhood Preferences among Ethnic Minorities

In this paper is examined if preferences exist among ethnic minorities for living close to an ethnic social network, in so-called ethnic enclaves, or living in neighbourhoods with many residents belonging to different ethnic minorities. It is analysed to what extent these preferences can be explained either by their social integration, their ethnic background, their resources or by the strength of their feelings of belonging to their country of origin as described by the concept of diaspora. It is also examined if such preferences affect actual moves into such neighbourhoods. The results show that differences in social integration and resources constitute the most important factors explaining preferences, while differences across ethnic minority groups in Denmark almost disappear when controlling for these variables. But for a few ethnic groups, differences persist that cannot be explained by other variables.

Social integration confers thermal benefits in a gregarious primate.

Sociality has been shown to have adaptive value for gregarious species, with more socially integrated animals within groups experiencing higher reproductive success and longevity. The value of social integration is often suggested to derive from an improved ability to deal with social stress within a group; other potential stressors have received less attention. We investigated the relationship between environmental temperature, an important non-social stressor, and social integration in wild female vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), using implanted data loggers to obtain direct measures of core body temperature. Heterothermy (as measured by 24-h amplitude of body temperature) increased, and 24-h minima of body temperature decreased, as the 24-h minimum ambient temperature decreased. As winter progressed, monkeys became increasingly heterothermic and displayed lower 24-h minima of body temperature. Monkeys with a greater number of social partners displayed a smaller 24-h amplitude (that is, were more homoeothermic) and higher 24-h minima of body temperature (that is, became less hypothermic), than did animals with fewer social partners. Our findings demonstrate that social integration has a direct influence on thermoregulatory ability: individual animals that form and maintain more social relationships within their group experience improved thermal competence compared to those with fewer social relationships. Given the likely energetic consequences of thermal benefits, our findings offer a viable physiological explanation that can help account for variations in fitness in relation to individual differences in social integration.

Socio-economic inequalities in profiles of social integration across adulthood: evidence from a British birth cohort study

Social integration in older age is a key quality of life component and is associated with reduced mortality and morbidity risk. There are socio-economic differences in social integration, but the influence of different indicators of socio-economic position on long-term change in social integration at older ages is not known. This study aimed to identify profiles of social integration across adulthood and explore the impact of various socio-economic indicators at different ages. Data were drawn from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. A latent class analysis used measures of contact with friends and family, participation in group activities and marital status at ages 36, 43 and 60-64 to identify profiles of change in social integration for men and women. One-step analyses related profiles to father’s occupation-based socio-economic position, own educational attainment and head of household occupation-based socio-economic position. Four profiles of social integration were identified for men: high and maintained, married; medium and maintained, married; declining, married; and declining, unmarried. Higher head of household occupation and educational attainment were associated with greater likelihood of maintained integration. Four profiles of social integration were also identified for women: high and maintained, married; high and maintained, unmarried; declining group participation, unmarried; and declining group participation, married. Higher socio-economic position on all indicators was associated with greater likelihood of maintained integration. Lower socio-economic groups are more likely to experience declining social integration by early old age. Support to promote social integration may be particularly important for those with lower occupational grade or education.

Loneliness in old age in Eastern and Western European societies: theoretical perspectives

Data from European countries participating in the Generations and Gender Surveys showed that mean loneliness scores of older adults are higher in Eastern than in Western European countries. Although co-residence is considered as one of the fundamental types of social integration, and although co-residence is more common in Eastern Europe, the mean loneliness scores of older co-resident adults in Eastern Europe are still very high. This article investigates mechanisms behind the puzzling between-country differences in social integration and loneliness. Firstly, the theoretical framework of loneliness is discussed starting from the individual's perspective using the deficit and the cognitive discrepancy approach and taking into account older adults' deprived living conditions. Secondly, mechanisms at the societal level are investigated: cultural norms, the demographical composition and differences in societal wealth and welfare. It is argued that an integrated theoretical model, as developed in this article, combining individual and societal level elements, is most relevant for understanding the puzzling reality around social integration and loneliness in country-comparative research. An illustration of the interplay of individual and societal factors in the emergence of loneliness is presented.

Social class differences in social integration among students in higher education: A meta-analysis and recommendations for future research.

A meta-analysis of 35 studies found that social class (socioeconomic status) is related to social integration among students in higher education: Working-class students are less integrated than middle-class students. This relation generalized across students’ gender and year of study, as well as type of social class measure (parental education and parental income). However, type of social integration measure was a significant moderator. In particular, the social subscale of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire obtained the largest effect (r .18, p .001). Significant effects were also found using measures of the sense of belonging and participation in formal and informal social activities. Future research in this area should use multidimensional measures of social integration and investigate potential mediators of the social class-social integration relation.

Return Visits of the Young Albanian Second Generation in Europe: Contrasting Themes and Comparative Host-Country Perspectives

Research on the links of the second generation to their parental homeland, and return visits in particular, is largely lacking. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 75 Albanian teenagers in London, Thessaloniki and Florence, this paper brings a multi-sited perspective on attitudes towards and experiences of homeland visits. Contrasts are drawn between positive themes emerging from the narratives, which are about belonging, family and nature in Albania, and negative impressions which relate to poverty and traditionalism, and a developing sense of boredom as teenagers get older. We then relate some of these contrasting experiences to differences in social integration in the three different host-society contexts. The conclusion elaborates the uniqueness and significance of this case, both in terms of this being the first exploration of the transnational orientations of one of Europe’s newest second generations, and in relation to the home-country context of a liberalising ex-communist country still in a state of economic backwardness.

Lebensqualität nach radikaler Zystektomie – Übersicht und Analyse einer aktuellen Serie

Published evidence does not support a clear advantage in quality of life for continent versus incontinent urinary diversion or vice versa. We retrospectively assessed 61 patients after radical cystectomy with the EORTC-QLQ-C30 and -BLM30 instruments. Analysis was performed in dependence of age, sex, technique of urinary diversion and time-course of therapy. 36 patients had an incontinent and 20 patients a continent urinary diversion. Younger patients (p = 0.001) and those with a continent urinary diversion (p = 0.03) were found to have a statistically significant higher incidence of financial problems. Also patients with continent urinary diversion had significantly (p = 0.032) more problems in social integration. Furthermore, there were significant differences in social integration (p = 0.03) and emotional ability (p = 0.008) in the age-dependent analysis. Patients with a continent diversion had significantly more meteoristic problems (p = 0.007). This study also could not demonstrate any clear differences in dependence on the technique of urinary diversion. A good postoperative quality of life seems possible independent of age.

Emotional, self-conceptual, and relational characteristics of bullies and the bullied

To clarify distributions of emotional and somatic symptoms among different groups involved in bullying behaviour during early adolescence; to explore differences in social integration and self-perceptions; to explore how different cut-off limits for bullying behaviour may affect the impact of these measures; and to interpret our findings in the light of theories of identity that may suggest directions for interventions against bullying in schools. A cross-sectional study, based on self-completion questionnaire, of 1237 pupils aged 11-15 years in autumn 2000 in Alesund, Norway. Bullies and their victims reported similar and greater emotional impairments and psychosomatic complaints, lack of self-confidence, and pessimism than students not involved in bullying. With increasing involvement, bullies differed from non-involved students only in regard to depressive complaints and pessimism. The bullied group reported more depressive, somatic and anxiety complaints, and self-reproach with increasing victimisation. Both bullies and the bullied reported problems relating to school, parents, and teachers. Bullies enjoyed friendships to the same degree or better than their peers not involved in bullying, whereas the bullied group reported impaired peer relations and increasing problems with more serious involvement. Bullies, the bullied, and bully-victims reported diminishing peer support in their class with increasing involvement. Both the bullied and bullies share relational, emotional, and self-conceptual problems, but they also differ in whether they succeed in social arenas and to what extent they are affected by different emotional and self-conceptual problems. They are, however, fellow sufferers in many aspects.

Changes in immigrants’ social integration during the stay in the host country: The case of non-western immigrants in the Netherlands

Previous studies on social integration of immigrants were predominantly of static nature. This article provides a dynamic account by distinguishing differences in social integration that develop shortly after immigrants’ arrival in the host country from changes with length of stay. We examine contacts in leisure time between natives and non-western immigrants in the Netherlands. Theories from research on ethnic intermarriage are applied to these more common forms of contact. We use pooled cross-sectional survey data from 1988–2002. The results show that on average social integration increases with length of stay. Ethnicity, migration motive and home country education account for differences in integration that develop shortly after arrival and are maintained or even increased with length of stay, while the size of the immigrant group matters mainly at entry and then loses its influence over time. Age at migration exclusively explains differences in social integration that develop with length of stay.

Sport, civil society and social integration: The case of Norwegian voluntary sport organizations

Voluntary sport organizations make up the largest part of voluntary sector in many countries. Yet, in light of the renewed social and political interest in civil society, we do not know very much about how sport organizations operate and function. Accordingly, this article addresses the question of how voluntary sport organizations contribute to social integration through differences in community structures. First a theoretical framework making it possible to distinguish between various forms of community structures—strong, weak, mediated and pragmatic communities—is developed. Then, the first empirical part describes how members in sport organizations belong to such various forms of communities. Next, the article explains differences in social integration through social background, variation in participation in sports and various recruitment channels. Finally, the article explores how differences in community structures matters for the experience of sport activity, for organizational democracy and social capital (trust and political interests).

Social Integration and Employees with a Disability: Their View

Varied research has addressed social integration at the workplace of persons with disabilities. Goffman (1963) and others propose that disability interferes with ordinary social interactions, creating a class of stigmatized interactions. Whether perceived or experienced, stigmatization leads to negative outcomes for the recipient of stigma. Allport's Intergroup Contact Hypothesis (1954), expanded by Pettigrew (1998) specified conditions to ensure positive outcomes of intergroup contact. The Modified Labeling perspective predicts that the greater perceived stigma toward people with disabilities, the less likely that an employee with a disability engages in workplace interactions leading to friendships. Allport's perspective predicts that newly-employed people with a disability are less socially-integrated than others. Over time, differences in social integration between the two disabled and non-disabled employees decline as contact leads to social comfort and a basis for friendship. This study brings the person with the disability into the discourse. It measured social support, in general and in the workplace, for workers with disability, compared to non-disabled coworkers. It also compared perceived stigma toward persons with a disability held by both groups. The effect of length of time employed and its interactions with disability and perceived stigma were tested. Finally, it obtained respondents' expectations of making friends in the workplace. The study found that individuals with disabilities had higher levels of perceived stigma than those without disabilities. Disability status did not affect social support in general or at the workplace, but perceived stigma did affect social support in general. Thus, disability affects social support by increasing perceived stigma. Length of time employed moderates the effect of disability on perceived stigma. For individuals with disabilities, but not those without, perceived stigma is reduced over time in these employment settings.

Social Integration and Loneliness: A Comparative Study among Older Adults in the Netherlands and Tuscany, Italy

On the average, older adults in Italy are lonelier than those in the Netherlands. The results of a study by Jylha & Jokela (1990) showed that loneliness was more prevalent in regions of Europe where living alone was rarest and where community bonds were strongest. This inverse macro-level association, an increasing proportion of lonely older people and a decreasing proportion of older people who live alone from northern to southern Europe, could not be explained by differences in individual social integration. The aim of the present study was to reinvestigate this association. The data were from surveys conducted in the Netherlands (N = 3750) and northwestern Tuscany, Italy (N = 1543). Fewer older adults lived alone in Tuscany than in the Netherlands, which indicates that the Dutch were less integrated. As regards their participation in social organizations and personal networks, the Tuscan older adults were less integrated. To a large extent, loneliness among the Dutch and Tuscans based on differences in social integration could be similarly explained, and regional loneliness differences could be attributed to individual situations and characteristics:

Social Integration, Heterogeneity, and Divorce: The Case of the Swedish-speaking Population in Finland

The study compared marital stability in Finland with focus on the two language groups. The divorce rate was remarkably lower among the Swedish-speaking minority than among the Finnish-speaking majority. An explanation for this may be differences in social integration. The assumption about the effect of social integration was also supported by covariates measuring urbanization and individual migration. A hypothesis that marital homogamy reduces the divorce rate found support only with respect to the language of the spouses but not with respect to level of education or age.

Divorce and immigration: the social integration of immigrant divorcees in Israel.

This paper attempts to supply information on what motivated some 7000 Jewish divorcees to leave their countries of origin in the last decade and settle in Israel. The study also examines the differences in social integration of immigrant divorcees who came to Israel from different political systems--authoritarian or democratic regimes. Finally, the study examines the extent to which immigrant divorcees, who generally arrive in Israel with children, are to be considered as a "high risk" social group requiring special attention and particular aid. Of the 287,487 immigrants aged 15 years and over who arrived in Israel between 1970-1980, 53.7% were women (sex ratio: 860 males per 1000 females), and 3.6% were divorced. The findings indicate that there are significant differences between divorcees from Anglophone and Eastern European countries in their motivation for immigrating to Israel. The former decide to immigrate primarily for individual reasons--generally after divorce--expecting that immigration will increase chances of remarriage. In contrast, those who came from Eastern Europe are motivated by political, economic, and ideological reasons; the issue of immigration often sparks the divorce crisis. Divorcees from Anglophone countries are less socially isolated, more likely to meet veteran Israelis, and more satisfied with their life in Israel. Eastern European divorcees usually restrict their social contact to encounters with other immigrants from their country of origin, are less satisfied with their life in Israel, and feel themselves more isolated and frustrated. Despite the difficulties encountered by this group, it was found that there are no marked differences between divorcees and married immigrant women in social integration. In Israel, immigrant divorcees cannot be considered as a "high risk" social group.

Racial differences in social integration and life satisfaction among aged public housing residents.

The effects of social activity, social resources, health, and functional status on the life satisfaction of black and white aged were examined, based on interviews with 330 residents of age-integrated and age-segregated public housing estates in Cleveland, Ohio. The results of multivariate analysis call into question previous conclusions that age-segregation is conducive to greater life satisfaction. However, the findings do lend support to previous research indicating that social integration has a greater degree of importance in determining the life satisfaction of black than of white aged.