Social Environmental Variables Research Articles

Fission-fusion dynamics as a temporally and spatially flexible behavioral strategy in spider monkeys

Fission-fusion dynamics (FFD) encompass a behavioral strategy present in many animal species that reduces the costs and increases the benefits of group living. In this case study, we investigated how group characteristics (size and composition) and fission rates in spider monkeys varied in space and time with rainfall, fruit availability, and fruit variability in two sites, each presenting different characteristics regarding the distribution and size of food patches and rainfall. Habitat characteristics strongly influenced FFD in spider monkeys, particularly subgroup size and fission rate. Subgroup size varied with fruit availability and its variability, while fission rates varied with rainfall and fruit variability. However, both subgroup size and fission rate varied in opposite ways, depending upon habitat type. Subgroups tended to present stable mixed-sex composition regardless of fruit availability. We conclude that for spider monkeys, FFD are part of a flexible behavioral strategy to cope with a locally fluctuating environment and with different environments within the geographic range of the species. Fission-fusion dynamics (FFD) constitute a form of social organization that allows some species to take advantage of living in groups under different environmental conditions. The relationship between social organization and environmental variables has been well studied, but inconsistencies remain. One potential reason for these inconsistencies may be the focus of most studies on a single habitat type, with few formal comparisons of FFD in the various habitats occupied by a species. We evaluated how habitat characteristics (e.g., food availability and rainfall) affect FFD (assessed through subgroup size, subgroup composition, and fission rate) in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in two different habitat types. We found that within a single habitat type, food availability, variability, and rainfall affected subgroup size and fission rate. Crucially, these relationships contrasted sharply, depending on habitat type. Our study shows that FFD are flexible within and across habitats, indicating the importance of considering habitat characteristics when conducting socio-ecological observations. We caution against generalizations based upon single-habitat studies.

The contribution of social-environmental factors to the emotional adjustment of Israeli religious Jewish women coping with infertility

ABSTRACTThe community is often considered a resource for coping with health-related stress but has potential for negative effects when coping with fertility problems. In this study, we examined the associations between the social–environmental variables (seeking the support of the community, perception of pressure from the community, and perception of spouse support as a possible moderator of this pressure) and emotional adjustment to fertility problems among religious Jewish women in Israel, a highly pronatalist society. Data were collected from January to August 2011. Structural equation modeling using data from 186 women indicated that perception of pressure from the community was associated with poorer emotional adjustment. This association was not moderated by perceived spouse support, but spouse support was associated with better adjustment. Seeking the support of the community was found to be composed of two dimensions: Seeking Ties and Belonging to the Community, which was associated with poorer adjustment, and Seeking Approval and Recognition from the Community, which was associated with better adjustment. These results point to the complexity of dealing with health-related stress when it comes to important community values. Understanding this complexity can help professionals conduct culturally sensitive evaluation and treatment that will contribute to women’s emotional adjustment to fertility problems.

Examining the influence of social‐environmental variables on self‐injurious behaviour in adolescent boys with fragile X syndrome

Individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common known inherited form of intellectual disability, are at increased risk for showing specific forms of self-injurious behaviour (SIB) such as hand biting and head hitting, suggesting that biological factors associated with the syndrome confers increased risk for SIB. Few studies, however, have examined the extent to which social-environmental variables can influence the occurrence of these behaviours in this population. Twenty-two adolescent boys with FXS, aged 10 to 18years were systematically exposed to seven environmental conditions in functional analyses of SIB conducted over 2days at our research centre. Fourteen (63.6%) boys with FXS engaged in SIB during the functional analyses. Ten (45.5%) boys engaged in SIB that was maintained by social-environmental variables, that is, gaining access to attention/tangibles and/or escaping from social interaction, task demands and/or transition demands. For two boys, SIB was undifferentiated across conditions, and for two boys, SIB appeared to be maintained by automatic reinforcement. Social-environmental variables appeared to maintain SIB in a significant proportion of boys with FXS. Given that pharmacological treatments for SIB have limited efficacy in this population, the potential role of social-environmental factors on SIB should be examined before pharmacological treatments are implemented for these behaviours.

Pengaruh Lingkungan Sosial, Kepercayaan Merek, dan Citra Merek Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian (Studi Kasus pada pengguna iPhone di Kota Bogor)

The purpose of this study were (1) to determine the influence of social environment on purchasing decisions of iPhone, (2) to determine the effect confidence brand on purchase decisions of iPhone users,(3) to determine the effect of brand image to purchasing decisions of iPhone (4) to determine the influence of social environment, brand trust and brand image altogether on purchasing decisions of iPhone. The respondents in this research were 100 respondents, taken from the iPhone smartphone users in the city of Bogor and the campus STIE Kesatuan. The data were then processed using SPSS, 2016. From the analysis conducted, following results were obtained; (1) The social environment has a positive influence on purchase decisions resulted in a coefficient of 0.056 and a significance value of 0.247. (2) Trust brand has a positive influence on purchase decisions resulted in a coefficient of 0.257 and a significance value of 0.004. (3) The influence of brand image has a positive influence on purchase decisions resulted in a coefficient of 0.251 and a significance value of 0.002. (4) Social Environment, Brand Trust and Brand altogether have positive influence and significance on purchasing decisions of iPhone smartphones with significant value 0,000. Detreminasinya coefficient value of 0.369 indicates that 36.9% Social Environment variables, Brand Trust and Brand Purchase Decisions influencing variables, whereas for 63.1% explained by other variables not examined in this study

A Study on the Factors Affecting the Period of Job Maintenance of Persons with Cerebral Palsy

본 연구는 취업한 뇌성마비인의 직업유지기간에 영향을 미치는 요인들을 실증적인 분석을 통하여 구명하고 이를 바탕으로 뇌성마비근로자가 직업을 지속적으로 유지하기 위한 방안을 모색하는 것이다. 이를 위해 뇌성마비근로자의 일반적인 특성을 파악하고, 인구학적 요인, 장애관련 요인, 취업관련 요인, 사회환경 요인들이 뇌성마비근로자의 직업유지기간에 미치는 영향을 검증하고자 한다. 분석을 위하여 뇌성마비근로자 233명을 대상으로 빈도분석과 기술통계 그리고 t-test와 일원배치 분산분석을 실시하였다. 뇌성마비근로자의 직업유지기간에 영향을 미치는 요인분석 결과를 살펴보면, 직업유지기간에 영향을 미치는 4요인 17개 변수 가운데 15개 변수가 통계적으로 정적으로 유의미한 결과를 나타내었다, 인구학적 요인에서 직업유지기간에 유의미한 영향을 미치는 변수는 연령, 가구소득, 결혼상태, 교육수준으로 나타났다. 장애관련 요인에서는 장애등급, 장애원인, 의사소통능력이었으며, 취업관련 요인에서는 임금, 고용형태, 장애관련기관 및 기업, 직무형태, 직업훈련, 자격증이었고, 사회환경요인에서는 보조공학기기, 근로지원인서비스가 영향요인이었다.The purpose of this study is to identify through empirical analysis about factors affecting the period of job maintenance of workers with cerebral palsy. Based on this, workers with cerebral palsy are looking for ways to maintain their job continuously. For this purpose, this study identifies the general characteristics and verify the affect of demographic factors, disability-related factors, employment-related factors, and social environment factors on the job maintenance period of workers with cerebral palsy. For the analysis, frequency analysis, descriptivel analysis, T-test and One-way Anova was conducted for 233 persons with cerebral palsy. The results of the study, of 17 variables of the four factors affecting the job maintenance period, 15 variables obtained statistically significant results. First, the demographic variables were age, household income, marital status, and education level. Second, the disability-related variables were disability grade, disability cause, and communication ability. Third, the employment-related variables were wage, employment type, disability-related organizations and companies, job type, job training, and qualification. Fourth, the social environment variables were assistive technology devices, and labor support personnel services.

Associations of social environment, socioeconomic position and social mobility with immune response in young adults: the Jerusalem Perinatal Family Follow-Up Study

ObjectivesImmune response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) impacts adult chronic disease. This study investigates associations of childhood and adulthood social environment, socioeconomic position (SEP) and social mobility with CMV response in young...

Natural language indicators of differential gene regulation in the human immune system

Adverse social conditions have been linked to a conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) in circulating leukocytes that may contribute to social gradients in disease. However, the CNS mechanisms involved remain obscure, in part because CTRA gene-expression profiles often track external social-environmental variables more closely than they do self-reported internal affective states such as stress, depression, or anxiety. This study examined the possibility that variations in patterns of natural language use might provide more sensitive indicators of the automatic threat-detection and -response systems that proximally regulate autonomic induction of the CTRA. In 22,627 audio samples of natural speech sampled from the daily interactions of 143 healthy adults, both total language output and patterns of function-word use covaried with CTRA gene expression. These language features predicted CTRA gene expression substantially better than did conventional self-report measures of stress, depression, and anxiety and did so independently of demographic and behavioral factors (age, sex, race, smoking, body mass index) and leukocyte subset distributions. This predictive relationship held when language and gene expression were sampled more than a week apart, suggesting that associations reflect stable individual differences or chronic life circumstances. Given the observed relationship between personal expression and gene expression, patterns of natural language use may provide a useful behavioral indicator of nonconsciously evaluated well-being (implicit safety vs. threat) that is distinct from conscious affective experience and more closely tracks the neurobiological processes involved in peripheral gene regulation.

Which physical and social environmental factors are most important for adolescents\u2019 cycling for transport? An experimental study using manipulated photographs

BackgroundEcological models emphasize that cycling for transport is determined by an interplay between individual, physical and social environmental factors. The current study investigated (a) which physical and social environmental factors determine adolescents’ preferences towards cycling for transport and (b) which individual, physical and social environmental factors are associated with their intention to actually cycle for transport.MethodsAn online questionnaire consisting of questions on individual and social environmental variables, and 15 choice-based conjoint tasks with manipulated photographs was completed by 882 adolescents (55.3% male; 13.9 ± 1.6 years). Within the choice tasks, participants were asked to indicate which of two situations they would prefer to cycle to a friend’s house. The manipulated photographs were all modified versions of one semi-urban street which differed in the following physical micro-environmental attributes (separation of cycle path, evenness of cycle path, speed limit, speed bump, traffic density, amount of vegetation and maintenance). In addition, each photograph was accompanied by two sentences which described varying cycling distances and co-participation in cycling (i.e. cycling alone or with a friend). After each choice task participants were also asked if they would actually cycle in that situation in real life (i.e. intention). Hierarchical Bayes analyses were performed to calculate relative importances and part-worth utilities of environmental attributes. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate which individual, physical and social environmental factors were associated with adolescents’ intention to actually cycle for transport.ResultsAdolescents’ preference to cycle for transport was predominantly determined by separation of cycle path, followed by shorter cycling distance and co-participation in cycling. Higher preferences were observed for a separation between the cycle path and motorized traffic by means of a hedge versus a curb, versus a marked line. Similar findings were observed for intention to cycle. Furthermore, evenness of the cycle path and general maintenance of the street were also of considerable importance among adolescents, but to a lesser extent.ConclusionsResults of this experimental study justify investment by local governments in well-separated cycling infrastructure, which seemed to be more important than cycling distance and the social environment.

PENGARUH LINGKUNGAN SOSIAL TERHADAP IMAJINASI ANAK

The purposes of this study are: (1) to know the role of parents, teachers, peers, and society in the life of a child, 2) to know the development of imagination in children, 3) to know the social environment factor can influence the child's imagination. The formulation of the issue is whether the social environment affects the child's imagination? This research is descriptive quantitative research methods of correlation. X variable in this study is the social environment, the variable Y is Imagination. The population in this study is third grade students of State Elementary School. The result of the study is for homogeneity, comparing Fcount with Ftable the distribution Ftable, 0123<1.94 means homogeneous. To test for normality using K-S test, the social environment variables in mind that the value of quintile testers with α= 0.05 and n= 30 is 0.242, the highest value of 0.156. Ho accepted means Ha rejected due 0.156<0.242. The conclusion of the study is the normal distribution of the social environment at α= 0.05. The variable imagination of the students known that the quintile testers with α= 0.05 and n= 30 is 0.242, the highest value of 0.197. Ho accepted means Ha rejected due 0.197<0.242. The conclusion of the students imagination with normal distribution at α= 0.05. For a simple linear statistical test with product moment knowable Y=53.67+1.03X, of F=0.127 and Ftable =5.79, Fcount <Ftable is the linear regression. Finally, there is the influence of social environment on the imagination of the students.

Laboratory social environment biases mating outcome: a first quantitative synthesis in a butterfly

Sexual selection is by essence social selection: an individual’s fitness is partly determined by the phenotype of its social partners (i.e., the social environment). Nevertheless, most behavioral studies on mating patterns and sexual selection are conducted in laboratory standardized conditions, and it is unclear how potential laboratory-induced social biases affect mating outcome. The social environment may actually dictate which of female mate choice or male-male competition is the primary determinant of mating outcome. This matters because we expect sexually selected traits to evolve differently if mating outcome is determined by female mate choice or by male-male competition. We address this issue by performing an in-depth quantitative synthesis testing the effects of common extrinsic (population density, sex ratio), intrinsic (age), and laboratory-induced (cage volume, experimental duration) biases of the social environment of adults on mating outcome. For this, we used the butterfly Bicyclus anynana, as it provides a reasonable sampling of mating experiments in diverse laboratory conditions (i.e., 31 publications from 7 different laboratories since 2001). We found that all tested social environmental variables displayed strong variation across B. anynana mating studies, and that most variables had significant effects usually in interaction with another variable and with opposite effects between sexes. Hence, mating outcome is affected by laboratory biases on the social environment. Our quantitative synthesis offers a first case example of the effects of a pervasive and recurrent issue in animal behavioral research on sexual selection, i.e., the need to root mating experiments in ecologically relevant laboratory environments, in order to produce meaningful results about the selective force(s) driving the evolution of sexually selected traits in nature. Mating outcome is biased by the laboratory social environment in which experiments are conducted. Male and female age, density, ratio, as well as cage volume and experimental duration all affect mating proportions, and this blurs our understanding of how sexual selection shapes sexually selected traits in the wild. This first systematic review was conducted on 31 studies in a single butterfly species, but our results are likely relevant in any taxonomic group.

여고생의 여가태도, 신체활동 관련 사회환경적 요인, 여가라이프스타일 간의 관계

여고생의 여가태도, 신체활동 관련 사회환경적 요인, 여가라이프스타일 간의 관계

Subjective well-being of visually impaired older adults living in the community

ABSTRACTObjectives: Vision impairment is one of the most common disabilities among older adults, and it has a substantial impact on well-being. The present study constructs an integrative model to identify which variables derived from four dimensions of life (physical/functional, social, psychological and environmental) combined with sociodemographic variables explain the overall subjective well-being (SWB) visually impaired older adults living in the community.Method: A total of 121 severe visually impaired persons, aged 60 and over (M = 77.4, range 60–95), participated in the study. Personal, face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants at social centers or at their homes. Research tools consisted of valid and reliable questionnaires.Results: Five variables explained the older adults' variability in SWB: self-rated health, sense of meaning in life, functional independence in activity of daily living (ADL), sense of control of one's environment (Mastery) and the participant's age. The explained variance percentage was found to be high (61%). In contrast to expectations, social-environmental variables proved to be only of secondary significance in explaining SWB variability.Discussion: Variables derived from the psychological dimension appear more significant than the social-environmental variables in explaining SWB among visually impaired older adults. These variables should be considered when developing intervention programs intended to increase SWB within this unique population group.

Neighborhood social environment as risk factors to health behavior among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

BackgroundFew studies have focused on the impact of neighborhood social environment on changes in smoking and alcohol use over time among African Americans. MethodJackson Heart Study participants were recruited from the Jackson, MS metropolitan area from 2000 to 2004. Neighborhood social environment was characterized using census-based neighborhood socio-economic status (NSES) and survey-derived perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion, disorder, and violence. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the associations of neighborhood social environment with prevalence of smoking and alcohol use and with changes in these behaviors over time adjusted for individual sociodemographic characteristics. ResultsParticipants (N=3166) resided in 108 census tracts. All neighborhood social environment variables were consistently associated with prevalence of current smoking at baseline (11%) and with persistence of smoking over a median of 8-years follow-up (8%). The odds of being a consistent smoker relative to never smoking was about 30% higher per 1SD higher neighborhood violence (aOR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.16–1.46) and disorder (aOR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.08 – 1.47) and at least 16% lower per 1SD higher in neighborhood social cohesion (aOR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.74–0.95) and NSES (aOR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.67–0.95). Heavy alcohol use at baseline (17%) and consistent heavy use over the study period (8%) were negatively associated with higher NSES (aOR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.73–0.99 per 1SD increase in NSES). ConclusionFavorable neighborhood social environments may reduce unhealthy behaviors among African Americans.

Adjusting to Chronic Health Conditions

Research on adjustment to chronic disease is critical in today's world, in which people are living longer lives, but lives are increasingly likely to be characterized by one or more chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses may deteriorate, enter remission, or fluctuate, but their defining characteristic is that they persist. In this review, we first examine the effects of chronic disease on one's sense of self. Then we review categories of factors that influence how one adjusts to chronic illness, with particular emphasis on the impact of these factors on functional status and psychosocial adjustment. We begin with contextual factors, including demographic variables such as sex and race, as well as illness dimensions such as stigma and illness identity. We then examine a set of dispositional factors that influence chronic illness adjustment, organizing these into resilience and vulnerability factors. Resilience factors include cognitive adaptation indicators, personality variables, and benefit-finding. Vulnerability factors include a pessimistic attributional style, negative gender-related traits, and rumination. We then turn to social environmental variables, including both supportive and unsupportive interactions. Finally, we review chronic illness adjustment within the context of dyadic coping. We conclude by examining potential interactions among these classes of variables and outlining a set of directions for future research.

Creativity and innovation in Iceland: Individual, environmental, and cultural variables

ABSTRACTThis comprehensive literature review (CLR) is an analysis and synthesis of literature, observations, interviews, and artifacts as a means to answer the question, “Why is Iceland so innovative?” Iceland is considered by international indices as a leading nation in innovation in many fields, including design, music, art, and literature. A team of doctoral-level students and master’s-level counselors studying the psychology of creativity collected information regarding individual ability and personality in Iceland as well as the natural, physical, and social environment variables that might be related to creativity and innovation. The creativity literature supported the idea that ability and personality attributes of Icelanders might be the source of Icelandic innovation. The popular literature often referred to an environment of extremes and natural beauty that inspires higher rates of creativity and innovation. The scholarly literature pertaining specifically to Iceland suggested instead that open and egalitarian families; innovation education curricula and free play; cultural support for creativity; and government policies were the main drivers of innovation in Iceland. The researchers’ observations found that interviewees often disputed the literature, particularly regarding the impact of high ability, natural environment, and policy on innovation, and that artifacts supported most environmental variables.

Factorial Validation of an Academic Environment Scale for Undergraduate Education Students in Jos, Nigeria

This study developed and validated an academic environment assessment scale for undergraduate education students in the Faculty of Education of a University in Nigeria. Dearth of reliable academic environment assessment scale and persistent poor performance of students over the years in Research Methods and Statistics courses prompted the study. A sample of 310 students was drawn from a population of 790 final year undergraduate education students in 2013/2014 academic session, using a stratified sampling technique. A 43-item Academic Environment Scale (AES), which sought perceptions of students about their academic environment developed and validated by the researchers, was used for data collection. Data collected were analysed using exploratory factor analysis technique and Cronbach alpha method. The Kaiser’s rule (eigenvalue ≥ 1) and scree plot were adopted in extraction of five factors as underlying structure of the instrument. The factors were labeled respect for students, academic guidance to students, commitment to academic work, relationship with lecturers and freedom of learning, based on the description of items that loaded on them. The index of logical validity of 0.90 and the reliability coefficient of 0.91 was also established for the instrument. It was concluded that factor analysis and reliability results provided clear evidence for factorial validity and reliability of the instrument. It was recommended, based on the findings, that the instrument should be used for exploring students’ perceptions of personal and social academic environment variables and as a valid diagnostic tool for providing guidance and counseling support to students. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n6p205

From sedentary to active school commute: Multi-level factors associated with travel mode shifts.

Previous research has examined personal, social, and environmental correlates of active commuting to school, but most were cross-sectional and mode choice studies. This exploratory case study utilized a retrospective natural experiment opportunity, where a group of students transferred to a new school, and therefore experienced changes in their home-to-school travel environments. It examined whether such changes led to mode shifts from sedentary (car or school bus) to active (walking and bicycling) and what factors were associated with those shifts. Retrospective parental survey data (n=165, response rate=46%) were collected in 2011 from a new elementary school that opened in 2010 in Austin, Texas. The survey asked about the child's school travel mode and parental perceptions of home-to-school travel environments before and after the transfer, as well as personal and social factors. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to predict the odds of shifting from sedentary to active modes, using personal, social, and physical environmental variables. Sixty-eight (41.2%) respondents reported a sedentary-to-active mode shift for school commuting. Such shifts were associated with changes in school travel environments (e.g., shorter travel distance, improved safety, and decreased availability of bike lanes/paths) and relevant programs/services (e.g., increase in walking-promotion programs, and decrease in school bus service due to shortened distances). Targeting the current sedentary mode users is important to bring health benefits through increased physical activity and environmental benefits from reduced automobile use. Sedentary-to-active mode shifts may be encouraged by providing walking-promotion programs and by reducing travel distances and safety threats en route to school.

ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES RELATED TO THE MARRIAGE OF MINOR GIRLS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND THEIR SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

This study aims to reveal the environmental variables related to the marriage of minor girls and recognize the social and psychological effects of such marriage. For such purpose, the researcheres resorts to a sample of (180) families from one of the villages of Giza governorate. The researcher depends in his study on a group of tools including questionnaire and case study-applied to a group of previously married minor girls. These tools also include the application of self-assertion, depression and anxiety scales on the same sample. The researcher uses the descriptive method and the social survey method in the sample. The study reaches a number of important results: 1- Social environment variables related to the marriage of minor girls A) Results of the study reveal that the financial motive is the first motive behind the marriage of minor girls. 91.7% of the study sample indicates that a girl agrees to marry because of the increase of dowries paid by a non-Egyptian husband and that 83.9% of the sample individuals indicate that family poverty and low income are among the effective factors on such type of marriage. B) Increase of illiteracy percentage is one of the reasons of such phenomenon. This is also affirmed by the case study where the illiteracy percentage of those married to non-Egyptians reaches 20 cases out of 30 cases. 2-Social and psychological effects of minor girls marriage Increase of divorce cases among minor girls married to non-Egyptians reaching (90.6%) (78%) of the sample individuals are subjected to mistreatment by the husband (31%) of the sample individuals are subjected to anxiety disorder over their future and the future of their children.

An innovative model for a sustainability report in no-profit organisations

After a review of the literature, the research aims to build a sustainability report for NPOs through a set of economic, environmental and social indicators based on best international practice. Then the report will be applied to a voluntary service centre (CSV) which, in terms of function and organisation, over a wide range, contains all the social and economic environmental variables to be monitored in any NPOs. The findings appear to suggest an innovative model of sustainability report for NPOs with a significant set of indicators that offer a new disclosure of the activity carried on by the organisation. The work is tested only on a limited number of NPOs which can be extended in the future. Then, as there are many entities similar to CSV around Europe, it is necessary also to set up the model in other countries.

Perceived Efficacy and Control for Neighborhood Change: the Cross-Cutting Role of Collective Efficacy.

The premise of community advocacy is to empower residents by increasing their capacity to address and change neighborhood and structural factors that contribute to adverse health outcomes. An underlying assumption is that community residents will advocate for public policy and other changes. However, limited empirical evidence exists on community residents' perceived ability to advocate for neighborhood change. In this study, we characterized perceived neighborhood control and efficacy for neighborhood change and evaluated independent associations between efficacy and control beliefs and sociodemographic factors, community involvement, and perceptions of social environment. Cross-sectional data from 488 African American adults were analyzed to describe efficacy and control beliefs and to characterize bivariate associations between these beliefs and sociodemographic factors, social environment, and community involvement variables. Variables with significant relationships (p<0.10) were included in a multivariate logistic regression model to identify factors having significant independent associations with efficacy and control beliefs. Overall, beliefs about neighborhood control and confidence were varied, yet approximately half of residents (49 and 55%, respectively) reported having a little control over things that happen in their neighborhood and a little confidence in their ability to change things where they live. The likelihood of reporting confidence to make neighborhood improvements increased with greater collective efficacy (OR=1.78, 95% CI=1.19-1.31, p=0.002). In addition, participants who were involved in a community organization were more likely to report confidence to improve their neighborhood (OR=2.03, 95% CI=1.21-3.42, p=0.01). Efforts are needed to improve residents' ability to become positive agents of change in their community. Creating a research infrastructure within academic community partnerships that focus on strengthening advocacy and public policy may improve resident's efficacy and ability to seek and encourage neighborhood change.