Feelings Of Belongingness Research Articles

Happy to Help: Welfare Effects of a Nationwide Volunteering Programme

Abstract We study the wellbeing returns from volunteering in England's National Health Service (NHS) Volunteer Responders, set up in response to Covid-19. Using linked survey and administrative data, we exploit the oversubscription of volunteers and the random allocation of tasks via an app to establish causality. Volunteers show stronger wellbeing and feelings of belongingness and connectedness to their local area. Welfare analyses suggest that the benefits of the programme substantially exceeded its costs. We are the first to study the welfare effects of a nationwide volunteering programme. Our findings show that pro-social behaviour improves personal wellbeing as well as social welfare.

Assess the Impact of Body Appreciation on the Self-Esteem among Young Adults

Body image is considered as a core issue for public health and associates with young adult’s overall health. Psychological well-being, such as optimism, self-esteem, proactive coping, positive affect, life satisfaction, subjective happiness, and emotional intelligence. The present study is aimed at assessing the impact of body appreciation on the self-esteem among young adults. Total 60 students between age 20-23 years were enumerated from the selected educational institution of Bangalore (Karnataka) after obtaining informed consent. Data was collected by tool using: Structured rating scale for assessment of body appreciation (Body appreciation scale-2), modified self-esteem inventory for assessment of self-esteem (Rosenberg self-esteem scale). Mean percentage score analysis indicates that among the four domains under study, self-confidence possess highest mean percentage score that is 82.5% (14.86±13.12), and the rest domains like identity, feeling of belongingness and feeling of competence obtained 72.22% (43.3±15.53), 81.11% (48.6±16.91) and 88.38% (53.05±13.76) respectively. Analysis revealed a significant relationship between body appreciation and self-esteem as Karl Pearson coefficient of correlation was calculated and r was found to be +0.983. Body appreciation had significant association with selected socio demographic variables (i.e., religion). Body appearance pressure is an issue among young adults. Actions to promote body appreciation and prevent body appearance pressure may include an implementation of media literacy, body functionality, and exercise as topics within the education program to safeguard their health and well-being. In order to reduce the incidence of negative body image and poor self esteem, these variables need to be cared for.

Imposter phenomenon & belonging in master of public administration students in the US context

ABSTRACT Imposter Phenomenon (IP) is feelings of inadequacy and inauthenticity in settings where achievement is emphasized and valued. This exploratory study employs a survey to investigate the prevalence and underlying factors of IP among Master of Public Administration (MPA) students at seven US universities with varying institutional characteristics. The results show that over 1 in 10 MPA students report experiencing IP and feeling excluded by their peers and faculty. Our findings show that feelings of belongingness are negatively associated with experiences of IP. These findings contribute to the growing scholarship that emphasizes the role of oppressive systems in feelings of belonging and inadequacy. This article offers insight to better support MPA students in navigating their studies in the context of oppressive social systems. By understanding IP’s dynamics and the role of belonging in the context of PA education, this study hopes to foster a more inclusive academic environment.

Health and Well-Being Among College Students in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Daily Diary Study.

There is evidence that anxiety and stress increased among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less is known about daily experiences of affect, worry, substance use behaviors, experiences of pleasure, concern over food security, experiences of bias or discrimination, feelings of belongingness, and other indicators of well-being and how they vary across days in this population. This study surveyed a wide range of indicators of health and well-being in daily life over 21 days with a sample of college students in a large university system in the United States during the pandemic. The overall variance in each daily measure was partitioned to reflect the proportion due to (1) between-person differences versus (2) within-person, day-to-day variability. This is important because measures that vary primarily due to between-person differences may be more amenable to interventions that target particular students, whereas measures that vary more due to day-to-day variability may be more amenable to interventions that target day-level contextual factors. A sample of 2068 young adult college students (aged 18-24, mean 19.8, SD 1.3 years; 66.6% women) completed a baseline survey; 97.3% (n=2012) then completed up to 21 consecutive daily surveys that assessed a comprehensive set of daily markers of health, behavior, and well-being. The daily diary study produced a total of 33,722 person-days. Among all person-days, a minority were substance use days (eg, 14.5% of days involved alcohol use, 5.6% vaping, and 5.5% cannabis). Experiences of pleasure were reported on most (73.5%) days. Between-person differences explained more than 50% of the variance in numerous indicators of health and well-being, including daily vaping, cannabis use, other illicit substance use, experiences of bias or discrimination, positive affect, negative affect, worry, food insecurity, and feelings of belonging at the university. In contrast, within-person differences explained more than 50% of the variance in daily alcohol use, cigarette use, stress, experiences of pleasure, where the student slept last night, and physical activity. College student health and well-being are multifaceted, with some aspects likely driven by person-level characteristics and experiences and other aspects by more dynamic, contextual risk factors that occur in daily life. These findings implicate services and interventions that should target individual students versus those that should target days on which students are at high risk for poor experiences or behaviors.

Measuring belongingness in outdoor orientation programs

Outdoor orientation programs (OOPs) are reported to be successful at increasing students' feelings of belongingness. Currently only a handful of measures exist for assessing college students’ sense of belonging. This exploratory study examines three belongingness scales currently used in higher education assessing their effectiveness as measures of OOPs: the Student Belongingness Scale, the Workplace Belongingness Scale, and a one-question belongingness measure. The scales varied in their focus; for example, the Student Belongingness Scale measured perceptions of both peer belonging and institutional belonging. Researchers determined that scales focusing on belongingness to a small group provided the most useful data for OOPs. Management Implications: The findings of this study suggest managers of outdoor recreation programs consider ways to measure a sense of belongingness among participants as belongingness continues to grow as a measurement concept important to managers of outdoor recreation programs. Researchers recommend using an adaptation of the Workplace Belongingness Scale (renamed The Adventure Belongingness Scale) because the scale has both face validity and high correlations with the Behavioral Trust Inventory. The Student Belongingness Scale provides particularly useful data for assessing belongingness to institutions. Both scales should be considered to provide insight into the effectiveness of OOPs. The data for this study were collected via an online survey conducted in the fall of 2021.

Probing connections between social connectedness, mortality risk, and brain age: A preregistered study.

Many lifestyle and psychosocial factors are associated with a longer lifespan; central among these is social connectedness, or the feeling of belongingness, identification, and bond as part of meaningful human relationships. Decades of research have established that social connectedness is related not only to better mental health (e.g., less loneliness and depression) but also to improved physical health (e.g., decreased inflammatory markers, reduced cortisol activity). Recent methodological advances allow for the investigation of a novel marker of biological health by deriving a predicted "age of the brain" from a structural neuroimaging scan. Discrepancies between a person's algorithm-predicted brain-age and chronological age (i.e., the brain-age gap) have been found to predict mortality and psychopathology risk with accuracy rivaling other known measures of aging. This preregistered investigation uses the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study to examine connections between the quality of social connections, the brain-age gap, and markers of mortality risk to understand the longevity-promoting associations of social connectedness from a novel biological vantage point. While social connectedness was associated with markers of mortality risk (number of chronic conditions and ability to perform activities of daily living), our models did not find significant links between social connectedness and the brain-age gap, or the brain-age gap and mortality risk. Supplemental and sensitivity analyses suggest alternate approaches to investigating these associations and overcoming limitations. While plentiful evidence underscores that being socially connected is good for the mind, future research should continue to consider whether it impacts neural markers of aging and longevity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring the effects of soundscape perception on place attachment: A comparative study of residents and tourists

The critical role of soundscapes in nurturing place attachment, affecting individuals' emotional ties and perceptions of specific locations, has been historically undervalued. In this case, this study examined the profound interrelationships between soundscapes and human connections to place, with a focus on the contrasting perspectives of residents and visitors. Based on on-site surveys on Kulangsu Island involving both groups, this research examined the difference in soundscape perception and place attachment as well as their relationships between the two groups. The findings revealed that residents and visitors showed a shared inclination towards natural sounds alongside the recognition of artificial sounds, while a significant divide emerged in the evaluation of overall soundscapes. Residents displayed a heightened sense of place attachment compared to visitors, characterized by feelings of belongingness and uniqueness. Notably, visitors' place attachment was closely tied to various soundscape evaluation indicators, particularly correlated with the perception of artificial and mechanical sounds. In contrast, residents' place attachment is independent of soundscape evaluations, while is influenced positively by the preference for natural sounds. This contrast underscores the differing perspectives and objectives between the two groups. The results facilitate a deeper understanding of the pivotal role of soundscapes in shaping human-place relationships, informing both academic discourse and practical applications.

Social Exclusion and Social Anxiety Disorder: The Temporal Need-threat Model of Ostracism

Social exclusion, or ostracism, is being excluded or rejected by others. It is the common behaviour within social situations. Detecting social exclusion could be essential for the survival of human creatures, as social exclusion could threaten the basic needs of human creatures: self-esteem and feelings of belongingness. Williams temporal need threat model introduces how individuals react toward ostracism. Usually, individuals can recover from social exclusion quickly by behaving pro-socially to reconnect to others and fortify the basic need(s) threatened by social exclusion. However, for individuals with higher social anxiety or social anxiety disorder, the negative social belief about themselves (unpopular, shyness) within a social situation inhibits their recovery speed from exclusion and desire to reconnect to others. When social exclusion happens, individuals with higher social anxiety or social anxiety disorder become more vulnerable in social situations. Individuals lose their ability to get used to social situations when they suffer long-term social exclusion. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is suggested to be a helpful therapy for individuals suffering from long-term social exclusion and social anxiety disorder.

Suicide-related cognitions and emotional bias performance in a community sample

BackgroundSuicide is theorized to be connected to social interactions and feelings of belongingness. Those with suicide-related cognitions (SRCs) demonstrate attentional bias toward negative or suicide-related words, which can lead to increased feelings of rejection or alienation. As social interactions employ both verbal and nonverbal cues, there exists a gap in understanding how perception of emotional expressions can contribute to the development or exacerbation of suicidal ideation. MethodsThe current sample (N = 114, 60.5 % female, 74.6 % white) completed the Suicide Cognitions Scale-Revised (SCS-R) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess SRCs and depression severity. The Emotional Bias Task (EBT) was used to assess emotional response latency. ResultsMultiple regression analyses on EBT results showed that endorsement of SRCs and depression severity were not associated with any particular emotional response bias. However, presence of SRCs showed an association with longer latencies to identify ambiguous emotional expressions, even when controlling for depressive symptoms and age LimitationsMeasures were self-completed online. Relative homogeneity of the sample and cross-sectional design limits interpretation of the results. ConclusionsThose with more severe SRCs take longer to recognize positive, nonverbal cues. Irregular processing of positive emotional stimuli combined with bias toward negative verbal cues could worsen feelings of rejection or alienation in social interactions, therefore increasing risk of developing SI. This suggests that interventions focusing on allocation of attentional resources to process positive social cues may be beneficial for those with SRCs to reduce severity and risk of suicide.

Social Isolation in America? A 20-Year Snapshot

This visualization provides a snapshot of social isolation in America over a 20-year period. The author leverages data from the American Time Use Survey to estimate the percentage of Americans who report a complete lack of social contact during a single day. Contrary to prior claims, there was no clear evidence of increasing isolation during the 2000s and 2010s. There was, however, a marked increase in the percentage of Americans who were socially isolated during the coronavirus pandemic. Adopting a micro view of social isolation contributes to contemporary debates by highlighting social interactions rather than broad assessments of social integration such as social relationships or group participation. Although these latter concepts are important in their own ways, focusing on social interactions speaks to issues that are often considered synonymous with social integration such as the exchange of support, resources, and feelings of belongingness.

Shockvertising: The effect of disgust exposure on viewers’ nonconscious behavioral responses

Consumers frequently encounter disgusting images and disgust has been shown to produce a variety of behavioral responses when used in the context of advertisements or public service announcements. Building on theories of emotional appraisal and decision-making, we examine how physical and moral disgust differentially affect consumers’ identity and compensatory consumption. An internal meta-analysis of eight studies we conducted shows that feelings of disgust threaten different aspects of self-identity, which in turn trigger various forms of compensatory consumption. In particular, we hypothesize and find that physical disgust decreases consumers’ sense of power, which prompts them to act in a self-focused way to restore it (e.g., consume conspicuously). In contrast, moral disgust decreases consumers’ feelings of belongingness, which prompts them to act prosocially (e.g., donate to charity). Marketers often employ disgusting images to break through the advertising clutter or to scare consumers into doing something (i.e., shockvertising, fear appeals). Our findings suggest that they should closely evaluate which disgust stimuli to use and the specific subconscious and behavioral consequences such images elicit.

The moderating effect of participation on community identity in cultural festivals: A post-pandemic reality check

This study aims to identify the antecedents of community identity, ensuring social well-being, a feeling of inclusiveness and a sense of belonging ensuring its core of existence. The study has been carried out in the famous Baliyatra which has immense importance from the cultural point of view. The study has taken the views of the participants who has visited post covid with a feeling of belongingness and cultural identify. The research hypotheses were tested with a sample of 379 participants attending the Baliyatra Festival held in Cuttack, Odisha, India. The results indicated that sense of belongingness and feeling of inclusion are crucial predictors of participants’ level. The results are expected to assist festival planners in managing and designing festivals that can appeal to participants who make up a significant percentage of cultural festival market. The study adds to the knowledge of how cultural identity can influence festival participants in Baliyatra, Cuttack, Odisha.

Managing the Current Workforce: Status of New Graduate Nurse Well-being and Clinical Development 2018-2021.

A structured transition to practice (TTP) program is beneficial to the professional success and retention of new graduate nurses (NGNs). The COVID-19 pandemic impacted clinical preparation and the TTP experience of NGNs. Data from the Versant National Database between 2018 and 2021 were analyzed to determine the current state of NGN well-being and clinical development. Key findings from the analysis indicate that NGNs that are a part of a comprehensive TTP program remain highly committed to their organization, have increased satisfaction working with their colleagues, and indicate low intent to leave their position. However, there are opportunities to address individual rewards and recognition, clinical assignments, morale, feelings of belongingness, and well-being. These findings further support the importance of a nurse residency program as part of an overall workforce strategy and that individual, programmatic, and practice environment outcomes must be longitudinally measured and analyzed to be able to make necessary evidence-based changes to meet the future needs of NGNs and the profession.

Is the grass always greener? Access to campus green spaces can boost students’ sense of belonging

PurposeAn important facet of student’s sense of belonging is students’ relationships with, and time spent in, the university campus. The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion that access to campus “green space”, including parks, fields and gardens, may bolster students’ sense of belonging, improve well-being feelings and promote place attachment.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed students in different locations (including three green and one non-green campus spaces) across a large UK campus-based Northern institution. 146 students participated in the study in one of the four campus locations. The authors investigated how being in green spaces on campus may impact students’ sense of belonging, well-being and place attachment. The authors also qualitatively explored students’ perceptions of campus spaces through Ahn’s (2017) 10 Words Question measure.FindingsAnalyses demonstrate that students surveyed in green spaces reported significantly more positive sense of belonging, compared to students surveyed in non-green campus spaces. Campus location did not impact well-being, however. Students associated green spaces on campus with “calm”, “positive emotion” and “nature” words and non-green spaces with “busy”, “social” and “students”.Practical implicationsTaken together, the results of this paper suggest that access to green spaces can be important for campus sense of belonging. Thus, efforts should be made to ensure the sustainability of these important spaces across university campuses.Originality/valueThis study crucially examines how occupying green spaces on university campuses may impact students’ feelings of belongingness. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that uses field-based methods to understand students’ feelings whilst occupying green spaces.

Social anxiety inhibits needs repair following exclusion in both relational and non-relational reward contexts: The mediating role of positive affect

The pain of social exclusion can motivate people to capitalize on opportunities to reconnect with others and repair their self-esteem and feelings of belongingness. This effect is often diminished for those with high social anxiety (HSA). Prior research suggests this may be due to their diminished capacity for recognizing and emotionally responding to relational reward cues. We investigated whether non-relational success experiences in the aftermath of exclusion may be an alternative means of repairing threatened self-esteem and belongingness in HSA individuals. In a preregistered, online study, we threatened belongingness and self-esteem in 422 participants by excluding them in a Cyberball game and then assigned them to one of three conditions: Relational Repair, Non-Relational Repair, or a No-Repair control condition. Results showed that both repair contexts facilitated needs repair relative to the no-repair control condition, and mediation analyses suggested this effect was driven by increased positive affect (PA). HSA individuals were less likely to restore needs regardless of condition and this effect appeared to be driven by low PA. Findings emphasize the critical role of PA for restoring threatened needs in the aftermath of exclusion and suggest that HSA inhibits needs repair processes across both relational and non-relational reward contexts.

MELANHOLIJA, NIHILIZAM I GRAD: POEMA „LAMENT NAD BEOGRADOMˮ MILOŠA CRNjANSKOG

The paper deals with the connection between melancholy and the city, which contains multiple meanings. Personal feeling of melancholy and nihilism is present in Crnjanski’s poem “Lament nad Beogradomˮ along with feelings of belongingness, tran- quility and consolation. The city represents the link between different, antinomic states of Crnjanski’s lyrical subject. The aim of the paper is to show how antinomic relations are reflected in the experience of the city and the position of the self in relation to the feeling of being foreign, other, and native, belonging. The analysis is focused on the lyrical subject’s perspective, which makes the term city more complex, revealing, in this way, the complex- ity of melancholy.

Perceptions of Language Acquisition in Different Bilingualism Development

When bilingualism is brought up as a term, is commonly associated with just the ability to speak two languages, and some other factors that come with this term are not considered in order to give an identity to the individuals who are considered bilinguals. Some aspects of this environment, for example, the background that individuals in how to acquire the language play an important role in order to see how those individuals perceive some of the aspects that are implied in linguistics studies. Another thing to consider is how the social environment that individuals have affects their language development and by the same, it can provide them a feeling of belongingness in certain environments that are around them. Also, these differences in the background of bilinguals can make them have a different perception of each aspect because even if the development of two languages has reached the same goal, the process that those individuals followed to achieve those goals was different and could make them get a different perspective due to the different aspects that each individual identifies in their different process. All of the aspects that are associated with the acquisition of a second language will be analyzed in this paper and will provide the data that allow the identification of each perspective of two different groups of bilinguals, and will make clearer if those aspects, has a big influence on language development.

Racial and ethnic differences in the association of social cohesion and social capital with HIV testing

HIV testing rates vary by race and ethnicity. Whether social capital indicators are related to HIV testing and whether these associations differ by race or ethnicity is unknown. Multivariable analysis was used to examine whether social capital (collective engagement and civic and social participation), including social cohesion (trust in neighbors, neighbors willing to help, feelings of belongingness) were associated with testing for HIV in the past 12 months. Participants were white, Black or African American, and Hispanic/Latino adults ages 18 to 44 (N = 2823) from the general population, in Philadelphia, PA who participated in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Surveys 2010 and 2012. Overall HIV testing in this sample was 42%, and was higher among women, and Black compared to white people. Mean social capital scores were significantly highest among whites. Greater trust in neighbors was associated with lower odds of testing for HIV (adjusted Odds Ratio[aOR]:0.61, 95% CI = 0.49–0.74), and this relationship varied by race/ethnicity, with stronger inverse associations among Hispanic/Latino (aOR = 0.43, p < 0.001) and white adults (aOR = 0.50, p < −0.001) than among Black adults (aOR = 0.75, p < 0.05). Greater neighborhood belongingness (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.11–1.54) and working together to improve the neighborhood (aOR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.03–1.73) were associated with higher odds of testing for HIV. Different indicators of social capital were associated with higher as well as lower odds of testing for HIV. These patterns did not vary statistically by race or ethnicity. HIV testing prevention interventions will need to address social capital in design and implementation strategies.

Commensality and Togetherness in Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Food in literature is always part of a symbolic act, as the characters within do not eat to stay alive as humans do, but rather, this depiction of eating is always a symbolic process. Food, especially in science fiction and fantasy fiction, works on an even grander scale by being an integral part of the world-building process. It operates on a two-fold scale by serving as a familiar anchor in futuristic and fantastical settings, while also functioning as a defamiliarizing agent that adds to the strangeness of the story world. Food is an incredibly complex motif to be explored in literature, but what will be concentrated on here is the aspect of commensality that is related to food and food practices. Commensality, often seen as related to conviviality, is the practice of sharing a table and consuming food together. This practice has connotations of the deeper meanings vested within food practices in a communal and social sense. These practices promote harmony and feelings of belongingness and togetherness. This paper looks at The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2015) by Becky Chambers through the lens of food to explore how commensality works to create a home and promote the feeling of togetherness amongst an inter-galactic space crew that consists of multiple alien species from radically different cultures and communities.

Media synchronicity implications for Indian white-collar employees’ work-from-home wellbeing and preference, mediated by psychological needs satisfaction

PurposeWork-from-home (WFH) gained ground with COVID and will now continue to be a part of India’s future of work. Under WFH information and communication technologies (ICT) media become the primary/sole mode of communication for employees, which holds several implications for employers and employees. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of ICT media characteristics and usage frequency on multiple WFH outcomes. Specifically studied was ICT media’s ability to support synchronicity or coordinated behaviours of individuals working together.Design/methodology/approachThis work examined the effect of ICT media’s synchronicity-supporting ability and usage frequency on WFH employees’ need for competence and relatedness satisfaction, thereby wellbeing and preference to WFH. Data from 301 white-collar employees of varied manufacturing and services organizations of India was analysed via partial least squares structural equation modelling.FindingsAchieving more synchronicity by frequently using ICT media that can better facilitate coordinated behaviours did not directly influence WFH employees’ feeling of belongingness (need for relatedness) or wellbeing. It did, however, positively affect their feeling of effectance (need for competence) and thereby wellbeing. However, unexpectedly, it negatively influenced preference to WFH more often.Originality/valueThis study has uniquely combined media synchronicity and self-determination theories to investigate the implications of a work practice on employee wellbeing and preferences. Also, an extensible media evaluation parameter was created that encompasses the characteristics and usage frequency of a set of ICT media.