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The Sense of Belonging to the Country: Integrative Relationships and Spatiotemporal Commitment.

ABSTRACT: The satisfaction of the need to belong reflects in the sense of being an integrative part of the group or social system. There is some lack of empirical evidence for the structure of this sense at the macro level. This study assessed a two-dimensional model of the sense of belonging to the country, which included relational and spatiotemporal components. Participants were 539 university students from 18 to 50 (74% females). Questions regarding involvement, perceived acceptance, sense of commonality, and feeling at home represented the relational component of the sense of belonging. Four temporal categories-the recent past, present, and the near and distant future-were included in the assessment of its spatiotemporal component. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed an acceptable fit of the two-factor model. Its convergent validity was demonstrated by the association with an explicit single-item measure of belonging. The predictive effect of the spatiotemporal component emphasized the importance of continuity of belonging in considering emigration. In sum, the results confirmed the complexity of the sense of belonging to the country and the interconnectedness of integrative relationships and spatiotemporal commitment and revealed functional differences between them.

SUBMITTER: Kolesovs A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8275958 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundHealth interventions aimed at facilitating connectedness among seniors have recently gained traction, seeing as social connectedness is increasingly being recognized as an important determinant of health. However, research examining the association between connectedness and health across all age groups is limited, and few studies have focused on community belonging as a tangible aspect of social connectedness. Using a population-based Canadian cohort, this study aims to investigate (1) the associations between community belonging with self-rated general health and self-rated mental health, and (2) how these associations differ across life stages.MethodsData from six cycles of a national population health survey (Canadian Community Health Survey) from 2003 to 2014 were combined. Multinomial logistic regressions were run for both outcomes on the overall study sample, as well as within three age strata: (1) 18-39, (2) 40-59, and (3) ≥ 60 years old.ResultsWeaker community belonging exhibited an association with both poorer general and mental health, though a stronger association was observed with mental health. These associations were observed across all three age strata. In the fully adjusted model, among those reporting a very weak sense of community belonging, the odds of reporting the poorest versus best level of health were 3.21 (95% CI: 3.11, 3.31) times higher for general health, and 4.95 (95% CI: 4.75, 5.16) times higher for mental health, compared to those reporting a very strong sense of community belonging. The largest effects among those reporting very weak community belonging were observed among those aged between 40 and 59 years old.ConclusionThis study contributed to the evidence base supporting life stage differences in the relationship between community belonging and self-perceived health. This is a starting point to identifying how age-graded differences in unmet social needs relate to population health interventions.

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The Sense of Belonging to the Country: Integrative Relationships and Spatiotemporal Commitment.

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