It is not enough to be a member: conditions for health benefits in associative participation (Ser miembro no es suficiente: condiciones en las que la participación asociativa reporta beneficios para la salud)

Abstract

Involvement in social and community activities has been identified as a key factor in health and well-being. This paper focuses on the health and well-being benefits of a particular type of group involvement: associative participation. The main aim is to identify the type of participation that brings more benefits to the members. Based on previous research, we expect that health and well-being would be higher when there is engagement with the association, when group involvement is more intense and when the type of group involvement is deeper (voluntary work or associative leadership). An 848-individuals sample, recruited from Portugal, Spain and Brazil, responded to an online survey disseminated mainly through associations. Findings show that participation in the associative movement is positively associated with the mental health, physical health and well-being of the associates, but that this effect is only evident for more involved types of participation. Our results suggest that the quality of involvement is associated with a positive outcome: participating in the activities, doing voluntary work or serving as an associative leader. RESUMENLa participación en actividades sociales y comunitarias ha sido identificada como un factor clave en la salud y el bienestar. Este artículo se centra en los beneficios en términos de salud y bienestar de un tipo concreto de participación grupal: la participación asociativa. Su principal objetivo es identificar el tipo de participación que produce mayores beneficios a sus miembros. Basándonos en investigaciones previas, anticipamos que el nivel de salud y bienestar será mayor cuando existe participación en la asociación, cuando la participación es más intensa y cuando el tipo de participación grupal es más comprometido (trabajo voluntario o liderazgo asociativo). Un total de 848 personas reclutadas en Portugal, España y Brasil respondieron un cuestionario en línea distribuido principalmente a través de asociaciones. Los resultados muestran que la participación en el movimiento asociativo se relaciona positivamente con la salud mental y física y con el bienestar de los asociados, pero estos efectos solo son evidentes ARTICLE HISTORY

Beyond close relationships: the positive effects of group relationships and group identification on health

“…Moreover, Berkman and Syme (1979) showed that mortality is lower among those who participate in community life, and Cohen and Syme (1985) found a positive association between disease immunity and the number of social roles that a person plays. More recent research established a positive association between participation in associations and wellbeing (Fancourt and Steptoe, 2018), mental health (Seymour-Smith et al, 2017), and self-reported health (Gonzalez et al, 2020;Lima et al, 2021). Furthermore, shared group memberships impact health and wellbeing (Ysseldyk et al, 2018) by boosting individuals' selfesteem, belonging, meaning, sense of purpose, control, and efficacy in life (e.g., Cruwys et al, 2014;Greenaway et al, 2015;Jetten et al, 2017).…”

Civic Engagement and Personality: Associations with the Big Five and the Dark Triad

“…The different authors who have considered civic engagement in their studies have done so from different approaches, analyzing it in a more specific way and asking about certain behaviors (for example, asking whether they pay taxes and vote in elections) or in a more general way (for example, asking whether they are committed to serving in their community) (e.g., [5][6][7]). These civic behaviors have been positively related to mental and physical health and well-being in people who engage in them, and, in turn, the sense of community has been related to social well-being [8][9][10].…”