Participation In Volunteerism Research Articles

Volunteering and Depression among Older Adults: An Empirical Analysis Based on CLASS 2018

Introduction:: Older adults are prone to high levels of depression due to their deteriorating physical functions and shrinking social networks after retirement. Volunteering as an important social activity is essential for alleviating depression by building social network. This paper aims to examine the effect of volunteering on depression among older adults by using China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS 2018) data.Methods:: This study uses descriptive analysis and chi-square tests to show differences in demographic factors of older adults’ volunteerism participation, followed by bivariate correlation analysis to examine the correlation between the vital variables. Afterward, stratified linear regression analysis is used to research the significant level and impact between volunteering and degree of expertise, frequency, and variety of participation.Results:: 8,459 older adults are included in study. The research reveals that older adults who are younger, live in urban areas, are married, or have a higher degree of education tend to have fewer depressive symptoms. Meanwhile, participation in volunteering (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.8, 1.1, p < 0.001), as well as that demands specialized skills (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.2, p < 0.001), more frequency of participation (OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.53, 2.18, p < 0.001), and a wider variety of activities (OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.29, p < 0.001), all have a positive influence on depression levels.Discussion/Conclusion:: Older adults who participate in voluntary services have lower depression symptoms and should be encouraged to use their professional skills and increase participation frequency and variety in this process. This article suggests that governments should help older adults participate in voluntary services by time bank which will further strengthen social ties, rebuild social networks and alleviate depression symptoms of older adults.

Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Volunteer among Undergraduate Students

Study shows that self-efficacy and motivation have emerged to be predictors of volunteering intention. This study aims to determine the relationship between self-efficacy and motivation to volunteer among undergraduate students. A total of 359 respondents were selected by using cluster sampling technique. The data for this study were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. General Self-Efficacy Scale by Jurusalem & Schwarzer (1995) was used to measure students’ level of self-efficacy, while the motivation to volunteer was measured with Volunteer Functions Inventory by Clary et.al (1998). The results indicated that self-efficacy correlates significantly with motivation to volunteer in all the dimensions (protective, values, career, social, understanding and enhancement). Findings emphasize the concept of boosting self-efficacy as measures in reducing the lack of participation in volunteerism among university students.

Volunteer Service and Well-Being of Older People in China.

PurposeThe social support theory suggested that involving older people in social activities could increase their level of social participation and interaction, which in turn improved their well-being. However, there has been a heated controversy about whether participating in volunteer services could enhance the well-being of older people, especially for the Chinese sample.MethodBased on the data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2013, this paper used an ordered probit model to examine the impact of older people's participation in volunteer services on their well-being, as well as the differences in the impact across groups and the specific transmission mechanism.ResultThe empirical study found that Chinese older people's participation in volunteerism significantly enhanced their well-being, which remained robust after eliminating the possible effects of self-selection. Further heterogeneity analysis revealed that for female, non-party members and older adults with good economic status, participation in volunteerism has a higher increase in well-being. The mediating effect test indicated that older people's participation in volunteerism affected well-being mainly through enhancing positive emotions.ConclusionIt is necessary to promote the participation of older people in volunteer services and to clarify the role of government support and advocacy. Proper guidance is given to change the role of older people as care recipients to that of service providers and caregivers, and to continuously enrich the programmes and content of volunteer service to safeguard the well-being of older people.

Volunteering Experience among Older Adults with End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

ABSTRACT Living with End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD) can be stressful and associated with long-term psychological effects on older adults, especially when they have to undergo a lifetime treatment. Previous studies have documented numerous positive effects of volunteering as a potential intervention on health and well-being among older adults. However, there is limited understanding of the experience of older adults in volunteering while having ESRD. This study aimed to explore the experience often older adults with ESRD volunteering while battling with their illness. Several themes emerged from the data analysis regarding the experience of volunteerism among the older adult ESRD patients. The themes are pre-volunteerism experience, enriching and inspiring experience, volunteering experience as sources of support system, improvement of health and wellbeing experience, experience in discovering meaning in life, experience in repaying the good deed, and challenges in volunteerism participation. This study contributes to the literature and practices through the illumination of innovative intervention through volunteering for older adults with ESRD.

Attitudes of Saudi young women to participate in and propose volunteer work programs in light of social and cultural obstacles: اتجاهات شابات السعودية للمشاركة في برامج العمل التطوعي واقتراحها في ظل وجود المعوقات الاجتماعية والثقافية

This study aimed to reveal the attitudes of youth in Saudi Arabia towards participating in volunteerism programs, the suggestion programs in their volunteerism and social and cultural barriers to their participation in volunteerism. The sample of the study consisted of (293) female students from Saudi universities who participants in voluntary programs and youth organizations, and the sample of the interview consisted of (20) individuals working in committees with youth in Saudi universities, The study adopted the descriptive approach to its suitability in achieving the objectives of the study. the questionnaire and interview were used to collect data. The results showed that the attitudes of youth Saudi women towards participating in volunteerism programs were high, and the proposed programs in the implementation of volunteerism among Saudi youth women were high, most notable participation in programs that solve social problems. The social and cultural barriers to youth Saudi women participation in volunteerism is high, most notably the pursuit of livelihood and the lack of time to volunteer. The results of the interview are indications that the main programs proposed in the implementation of volunteerism are social programs that deal with groups of society who are not involved in various activities within the Saudi society, especially the elderly or the unemployed. Whereas, the main obstacles to volunteer programs for young people in Saudi universities are the absence of activities and programs that attract youth concerns lack of diversity for different age groups of young participants. The study recommended was the need to encourage university youth to practice volunteerism through the allocation of a project to serve the community within the requirements of Saudi universities.

Civic engagement among student veterans

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess participation rates in civic volunteering among service member and veteran students. Participants: Data for the present cross-sectional study were obtained from the American College Health Association’s (ACHA) 2011–2014 National College Health Assessment II (NCHA). Methods: Demographic characteristics of the study sample were explored by calculating frequencies and percentages by military service status. Research questions were explored with either Fisher’s exact test or maximum likelihood multiple logistic regression. Results: Service member and veteran students were more likely to engage in volunteerism than their non-veteran counterparts. Additionally, student veterans and non-veteran students reported that engagement in volunteer efforts both reduces their feelings of depression and increases their use of mental health services. Conclusion: The findings of this research suggest that the promotion of civic engagement and participation in volunteerism for service member and veteran students on college campuses might contribute to successful reintegration outcomes.

Learning in Later Life: Benefits and Challenges for Volunteers and Agencies.

Older adults in most societies are keen volunteers in a myriad of contexts for the betterment of individuals and for the agencies in which they volunteer. This article discusses how volunteerism among older adults may enhance their learning and the kinds of benefits and challenges they encounter in their work for employing authorities. It also considers how agencies can be better attuned to the lifelong learning aspirations of older volunteers. Research related to older adults, lifelong learning and the character of volunteerism is reviewed with examples provided from New Zealand and Australia of older adults' participation in volunteerism and consequential impact. While volunteerism is normally viewed as a "win-win" situation for the volunteers and the organisations in which knowledge is further developed for varied purposes (economic sufficiency; personal development; active citizenship; social inclusion), there are nevertheless challenges for both parties. The article explores salient factors which function as enhancers or limitations for older volunteers in their work and learning. It is important that the motives of volunteers for participation are fully transparent and understood by the older adults themselves and by the relevant agencies. Organisations can provide considerable opportunities for older people to engage in continuing learning/ education but they need to be aware of effective recruitment and retention strategies; older people can provide a much needed labour resource where their previous life experiences can be drawn upon and they should be fully cognisant of the organisation's mission and how they can help to enhance it.

Why Youths Choose to Become Volunteers: From the Perspective of Belief

The purpose of the paper is to examine the engagement of youth in volunteerism and looks at the belief factor underlying youth participation in volunteering activities. Data were collected from the respondents using personally administered questionnaires. A survey was carried out from May to September 2013 involving 342 randomly selected respondents. The respondents ages between 15 – 40 years (M age = 24.8, SD = 4.7). The results indicated 69.9% ( M=2.6930, SD=.47446) of the respondents attributed their participation in volunteerism to the belief factor. The level of belief in volunteering was high among youths. However, it should be noted that the factor may vary according to the needs of each individual. Only 0.6% of the youths had low belief in volunteering activities. The findings of the present study might be useful to volunteer organizations in helping them design interventions to boost volunteerism.

The International Orthopaedic Health Elective at the University of California at San Francisco: The Eight-Year Experience

It is estimated that half of the world's population lacks access to adequate primary health care and that two-thirds of the population lacks access to orthopaedic care1. While opportunities for orthopaedic surgeons to volunteer internationally have existed for many years, only a small percentage of practicing orthopaedic surgeons in the United States do so. One reason for this low rate of volunteerism is that physicians who have recently finished residency training face substantial loan burdens. In addition, recent graduates need to establish and build their practices2,3. Residents at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) may elect to participate in an overseas volunteerism program as early as their third postgraduate year. This program is rooted in the hope that early exposure will encourage future participation in similar activities throughout the residents' professional lives. While reports on the early experience of this elective have demonstrated a trend toward increased future participation in volunteerism, to date there have been no formal investigations of the long-term impact of this elective experience on orthopaedic surgery residents4,5. International health electives are believed to impact residents-in-training in three ways: providing professional development, affecting health-care resource use, and impacting outlooks and attitudes toward the delivery of health care6. A recent investigation conducted by the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale University examined the effects of its international elective on resident training. The study found that participants in an international elective were more likely than nonparticipants both to switch from subspecialty medicine to general medicine and to care for underserved populations7. While offering an international elective as a standard component of a residency training program may appear to benefit both residents and residency training programs, such electives require a substantial financial commitment from …

In the Footsteps of Kurt Lewin: Practical Theorizing, Action Research, and the Psychology of Social Action

How and why do people become actively involved in doing good for others and for society by taking action to respond to social problems? Such involvement can take the form of participation in volunteerism and philanthropy, community groups and neighborhood organizations, and social activism and political movements. To understand the dynamics of these processes of social action, I draw on coordinated programs of basic and applied research, conducted in field and laboratory settings, to illustrate the complex interplay between features of persons and properties of their environments in determining why some individuals become involved in social action, what sustains their involvement over time, and the consequences of such action for individuals and for society. Then, building on the messages of these programs of research, and the theoretical perspectives guiding them, I consider implications for social policy issues of relevance to individuals, groups, and society as well as the ways in which the social sciences can contribute to the effective functioning of society and the well‐being of its citizens.

The Prediction of Active Participation in Volunteerism - A Test of Moderating effect of Volunteer Identity -

The Prediction of Active Participation in Volunteerism - A Test of Moderating effect of Volunteer Identity -