Sense of Community in Early Adolescents: Validating the Scale of Sense of Community in Early Adolescents

Prati, Gabriele; Tomasetto, Carlo; Cicognani, Elvira

doi:10.1177/0272431620912469

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(110 reference statements)

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“…Responses are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). In previous studies, this questionnaire displayed satisfactory internal reliability with alphas ranging between 0.71 and 0.82 (Vieno et al, 2005;Prati et al, 2020). Cronbach's reliability value for the present study was α=0.75.…”

Section: Sense Of Community In Schoolmentioning

confidence: 62%

Adolescents’ Mental Health at School: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

et al. 2021

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In this study, we further developed prior research on risk and protective factors in adolescents’ mental health. More specifically, we used structural equation modelling to assess whether relationships at school with teachers and peers, and life satisfaction predicted mental health in a large sample of adolescents, while also testing for age and gender invariance. The sample comprised 3,895 adolescents (Mage = 16.7, SD = 1.5, 41.3% girls), who completed self-report instruments assessing their perceived life satisfaction, student-teacher relationship, school connectedness and mental health. Overall, the results suggested that life satisfaction acted as a mediator between adolescents’ positive school relations and their mental health. Outcomes were invariant across genders, while quality of school relations and mental health declined with age. Limitations of the study and futures lines in mental health research among adolescents are briefly discussed.

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Section: Sense Of Community In Schoolmentioning

confidence: 62%

Adolescents’ Mental Health at School: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

et al. 2021

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“…The model in the current study suggests that community feeling incorporates well into the construct of human connectedness. The sense of community feelings are studied in a wide range of contexts, for example, at workplaces ( 30 ) and among adolescents ( 31 ) as well as in immigrant communities ( 32 ). Existing literature suggests that participating actively in their community affairs and a sense of belonging are positively associated with one's overall health ( 33 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mechanism of Human Connectedness in Relationship to Physical Health, Mental Health, and Cognitive Function Among the Elderly in Rural China

Wang

2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Background: Elderly people face particular challenges in their everyday lives, and these are likely to be caused by physical health, mental health, cognitive function, and lack of maintaining a connection to other people. This study aims to explore a meaningful measure of human connectedness among the elderly in rural China and to examine the extent to which it impacts elderly people's physical and mental health as well as their cognitive function.Methods: Survey data were collected from 483 participants who were aged 60 and older in northeast rural China. The outcome variables included cognitive function, which was assessed by the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire; depressive symptoms, which were measured by the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; and the participants' physical health, which was assessed by a 15-item checklist. On the other hand, human connectedness was constructed by perceived family support, which was measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support; the sense of community, which was measured by the Brief Sense of Community Scale; and the satisfaction of connectedness with others (i.e., with family members and friends).Results: Structural equation modeling analysis confirms that perceived family support, community feelings, and perceived satisfactory connections with family and friends constitute a sufficient representation of human connectedness. Moreover, human connectedness also significantly predicted one's mental and physical well-being as well as cognitive function (b = 0.11, SD = 0.02, β = 0.50, p < 0.001; model fitting indexes X(16)2 = 17.27, p = 0.368, CFI = 0.998, and RMSEA = 0.013).Conclusion: The present study is the first attempt to explore the latent structure of human connectedness and its positive impact on cognitive function as well as physical and mental health among elderly people. The implications and the importance of fostering a stronger social support network, especially for the aging population, are discussed.

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“…The scale of Sense of Community in Early Adolescents (SoC‐EA, Prati, Tomasetto, & Cicognani, 2020). The SoC‐EA comprises 20 items.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The SoC‐EA comprises 20 items. Examples of items are “I feel like I belong to this place” and “In this place, there are enough initiatives for young people.” The full item set can be found in Appendix 1 of the validation study (Prati et al, 2020). Participants were asked to provide their responses using a 5‐point scale from 1 ( not at all true ) to 5 ( completely true ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We administered the SoC‐EA with reference to their residential neighbourhood (Cicognani, Klimstra, & Goossens, 2014). Although the SoC‐EA includes five factors (i.e., support and emotional connection in the community; support and emotional connection with peers; satisfaction of needs and opportunities for involvement; opportunity for influence; sense of belonging), according to Prati et al (2020), the use of a total score the SoC‐EA was supported because early adolescents experienced holistically the construct of SOC. Cronbach's alpha for the SoC‐EA in the present sample was .92 (T1), .93 (T2), and .94 (T3).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Developmental relations between sense of community and well‐being among early adolescents: A latent change score modelling study

Prati

Tomasetto

Cicognani

2020

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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Previous research on sense of community (SOC) has predominantly assumed that this construct plays a role in predicting well‐being (WB). However, it is only recently that a bidirectional relationship between SOC and WB has been hypothesised and tested. Moreover, no study investigated the longitudinal relationships between psychological WB and SOC among early adolescents. The present research followed a sample of middle school students from six‐grade through nine‐grade to investigate the reciprocal relationships between SOC and WB. Participants were 576 Italian students. In the present article, we utilised latent change score modelling based on longitudinal data collected in three waves across 3 years. Using bivariate dual change score modelling, dynamic reciprocal relationships were observed between SOC and WB. The revealed bidirectional relationship between SOC and WB contribute to the extant literature by illuminating more nuanced interplays between these constructs among early adolescents.

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Sense of Community in Early Adolescents: Validating the Scale of Sense of Community in Early Adolescents

Cited by 5 publications

References 62 publications

Adolescents’ Mental Health at School: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

Adolescents’ Mental Health at School: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

The Mechanism of Human Connectedness in Relationship to Physical Health, Mental Health, and Cognitive Function Among the Elderly in Rural China

Developmental relations between sense of community and well‐being among early adolescents: A latent change score modelling study

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