Positive school environments and school belonging have been associated with a variety of positive academic, social, and psychological outcomes among youth. Yet, it is not clear how these constructs are related, and few studies have focused on urban at-risk youth with disabilities. This study examines baseline survey data from 136 low-income African American and Latino students in grades 5 to 12, most of whom have disabilities, recently transferred following a school closure. Using structural equation modeling, we tested a model that examined the relationships among school stressors and resources, school belonging, academic outcomes (school satisfaction and academic self-efficacy), and psychological outcomes (anxiety and depression). This model was an excellent fit with the data, and findings indicate that school belonging plays a central role in explaining how school context can affect both psychological and academic outcomes. This model has implications for school-based interventions that can enhance student success and well-being. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

No abstract

No abstract

With a national U.S. sample of communal-living residents in substance abuse recovery, the tendency to help members inside and/or outside their community was examined. Study 1 (n = 670) developed of the Communal Living In-Group Helping Scale to distinguish helping directed toward housemates vs. others. Study 2 (n = 419) used this communal helping measure and a general altruism scale to explore gender, ethnicity, and 12-Step sponsorship related to in-group (housemates) and out-group (others in the community) behaviors. Results revealed significant sex differences and significantly higher helping for both men and women was reported among 12-Step sponsors along two dimensions. Implications focused on gender-related differences in social helping interactions and in-group formation in recovery communities. Keywordshelping; in-group; sex differences; recovery; 12-step sponsorship; communal living settings Numerous research reports indicate several positive long-term psychological and physical health effects associated with helping others (see Brown, Nesse, Vinokur, & Smith, 2003;Smith, Fernengel, Holcroft, Gerald, & Marien, 1994). For example, benefits from helping others include tranquility, improved self-worth, greater optimism, raised self-esteem, as well as decreased depression and helplessness (Luks, 1992). People who frequently engage in helping activities, such as volunteer work or mentoring, experience better perceived physical health and live longer in relation to others who do not perform community service (Andrews, 1990;Moen, Dempster-McClain & Williams, 1992). Helping also affords persons the ability to develop ties and sustain connections with others in their community.One important application of helping behavior that may have "real-world" relevance is within the field of substance abuse intervention. The effects of the helping processes on the helpers have been rarely studied (Campbell & Campbell, 2000), but the small body of literature that does exist focuses on the topic of persons in recovery providing assistance to Direct correspondence to the first or second author at the Department of Psychology, DePaul University, 2219 North Kenmore Ave, Chicago IL, 60614: jviola1@depaul.edu, NIH Public AccessAuthor Manuscript J Groups Addict Recover. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 August 4. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript peers with similar histories of substance abuse (members of their in-group). Kahn and Fua (1992) found high rates of continued sobriety among people in recovery from substance abuse who served as substance abuse counselors. In learning to be substance abuse counselors, participants gained skills that enabled them to be effective, socially useful, valued by society, and earn a living by their efforts. Kahn and Fua also reported that participants experienced an increase in self-esteem and self-concept. More recently, Zemore, Kaskutas, and Ammon (2004) reported that helping others by sharing experiences, explaining how to get help, and g...

As we reflect on the founding vision of the field of community psychology in the United States, we assess our progress toward achieving, building upon, and refining this vision. We review early literature regarding the US vision of the field, provide a historical overview of education and training within the field, and provide recommendations to guide and strengthen our approach to education. Our recommendations include the following: 1) serve as a resource to communities, 2) promote a sense of community within our field, 3) diversify students, faculty, and leadership, 4) evaluate our efforts, 5) be current and relevant, 6) enhance the visibility and growth of our field, and 7) create globally minded and innovative CPists. We provide strategies for programs, faculty, linkages between researchers and practitioners, and the Society for Community Research and Action. We conclude that community psychology education and training continues to reflect the early vision; however, we believe we must make more intentional efforts to align with the mission and values of the field, and to engage in a critical analysis of our pedagogy. Enhancing and growing undergraduate and graduate education can facilitate the achievement of our goals to promote social justice, prevent and address social problems, and build community connections to become more effective, impactful, and global social change agents.