Open Journal Systems

Linking community participation and subjective well-being in Chinese residential communities: the mediating role of community identity and the moderating effect of loneliness

Xiangshu Deng, Zhenyu Wei, Hang Lu, Ye Luo

Article ID: 2670
Vol 9, Issue 7, 2024, Article identifier:

VIEWS - 272 (Abstract) 73 (PDF)

Abstract

This study attempts to draw on self-determination theory and the community psychology perspective to elaborate on the mechanisms underlying the association between community participation and life satisfaction in urban residential communities. The present study examines the mediating role of community identity in the relationship between community participation and life satisfaction. Moreover, the current study investigated the moderating effect of loneliness on the mediation model. A total of 1,205 urban residents, ranging in age from 18 to 65 years, completed the Community Participation Scale, the Community Identity Scale, the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale for this study. The survey’s results suggest that community participation can be a positive predictor of community identity and life satisfaction. Moreover, the result of the mediation analysis demonstrates that the link between community participation and life satisfaction can be mediated by community identity. Furthermore, the moderated mediation model analysis indicates that loneliness moderated the link between community participation and community identity, as well as the link between community participation and life satisfaction. The mediating effect of community identity on the relationship between community participation and life satisfaction is stronger for residents with high levels of loneliness than for those with low levels of loneliness. These findings provide a comprehensive explanation for how community participation improves subjective well-being among urban residents in the context of a residential community.


Keywords

community participation; community identity; life satisfaction; loneliness; residential community

Full Text:

PDF



References

1. Campbell, A. Subjective measures of well-being. American Psychologist 1976; 31: 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.31.2.117

2. Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and life satisfaction. Handbook of Positive Psychology 2002; 2: 63–73.

3. Diener, E. Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin 1984; 95: 542–575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542

4. Pavot, W. G., & Diener, E. Review of the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Psychological Assessment 1993; 5: 164–172. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2354-4_5

5. Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment 1985; 49(1): 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13

6. Pavot, W. G., Diener, E., Colvin, C. R., & Sandvik, E. Further validation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: Evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures. Journal of Personality Assessment 1991; 57: 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5701_17

7. Fergusson, D. M., McLeod, G. F. H., Horwood, L. J., Swain, N. R., Chapple, S., & Poulton, R. Life satisfaction and mental health problems (18 to 35 years). Psychological Medicine 2015; 45(11): 2427–2436. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291715000422

8. MacDonald, J. M., Piquero, A. R., Valois, R. F., & Zullig, K. J. The relationship between life satisfaction, risk-taking behaviors, and youth violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2005; 20(11): 1495–1518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260505278718

9. Pavot, W. G., & Diener, E. The satisfaction with life scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology 2008; 3(2): 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760701756946

10. Proctor, C. L., Linley, P. A., & Maltby, J. Youth life satisfaction: A review of the literature. Journal of Happiness Studies 2009; 10(5): 583–630. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-008-9110-9

11. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry 2000; 11(4): 227–268. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1449618.

12. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. Self-determination theory. In Handbook of theories of social psychology, ed. Sage Publications Ltd; 2012. pp. 416–436. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249215.n21

13. Sheldon, K. M., Abad, N., Ferguson, Y., Gunz, A., Houser-Marko, L., Nichols, C. P., & Lyubomirsky, S. Persistent pursuit of need satisfying goals leads to increased happiness: A 6-month experimental longitudinal study. Motivation and Emotion 2010; 34: 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-009-9153-1

14. Wray-Lake, L., DeHaan, C. R., Shubert, J., & Ryan, R. M. Examining links from civic engagement to daily well-being from a self-determination theory perspective. The Journal of Positive Psychology 2019; 14(2): 166–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2017.1388432

15. Lv, X., Tang, R., Luo, J., Zhang, M., & Li, Q. I Join, So I Enjoy: How Customer Participation Increases Wellbeing. Journal of Happiness Studies 2023; 23: 2783–2811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00703-w

16. Jiang, J., Zeng, T., Zhang, C., & Wang, R. The mediating role of relatedness need satisfaction in the relationship between charitable behavior and well‐being: Empirical evidence from China. International Journal of Psychology 2016; 53 (5): 349–355. http://10.1002/ijop.12377

17. Ohmer, M. L. Citizen participation in neighborhood organizations and its relationship to volunteers’ self and collective efficacy and sense of community. Social Work Research 2007; 31: 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/31.2.109

18. Chen, L., & Zhang, Z. Community Participation and Subjective Wellbeing: Mediating Roles of Basic Psychological Needs Among Chinese Retirees. Frontiers in Psychology 2021; 12: 743897. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.743897

19. Moreno-Jiménez, M. P., Rodríguez, M. L. R., & Martín, M. V. Construction and validation of the Community and Socio-political Participation Scale (SCAP). The Spanish Journal of Psychology 2013; 16. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2013.48

20. Talò, C. Community-based determinants of community engagement: a meta-analysis research. Social Indicator Research 2018; 140: 571–596. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1778-y

21. Lardier Jr, D. T. An examination of ethnic identity as a mediator of the effects of community participation and neighborhood sense of community on psychological empowerment among urban youth of color. Journal of Community Psychology 2018; 46(5): 551–566. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21958

22. Talò, C., Mannarini, T., & Rochira, A. Sense of community and community participation: A meta-analytic review. Social Indicator Research 2014; 117: 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0347-2

23. Xin, Z., Yang, Z., & Ling, X. Interdependent self-construal matters in the community context: Relationships of self-construal with community identity and participation. Journal of Community Psychology 2017; 45(8): 1050–1064. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21910

24. Gilmour, H. Social participation and the health and well-being of Canadian seniors. Health Reports 2012; 23(4): 23–32.

25. Rogers, E. S., Millner, U. C., Ludlow, L., Lord, E. M., & Russinova, Z. Development of a comprehensive inventory of community participation for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal 2021; 44(1): 51. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000450

26. Glass, T. A., De Leon, C. F. M., Bassuk, S. S., & Berkman, L. F. Social engagement and depressive symptoms in late life: longitudinal findings. Journal of Aging and Health 2006; 18(4): 604–628. https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643062910

27. Li, C., Jiang, S., Li, N., & Zhang, Q. Influence of social participation on life satisfaction and depression among Chinese elderly: Social support as a mediator. Journal of Community Psychology 2018; 46(3): 345–355. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21944

28. Park, N. S., Jang, Y., Lee, B. S., Haley, W. E., & Chiriboga, D. A. The mediating role of loneliness in the relation between social engagement and depressive symptoms among older Korean Americans: do men and women differ? Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 2013; 68(2): 193–201. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbs062

29. Harlow, R. E., & Cantor, N. Still participating after all these years: A study of life task participation in later life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1996; 71(6): 1235–1249. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.71.6.1235

30. Zhang, Z., and Zhang, J. Social participation and subjective well-being among the retirees in China. Social Indicators Research 2015; 123: 143–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0728-1

31. Cowen, E. L. Community psychology and routes to psychological wellness. In Handbook of community psychology, ed. Springer, Boston, MA; 2000. pp. 79–99.

32. Schueller, S. M. Promoting wellness: Integrating community and positive psychology. Journal of Community Psychology 2009; 37(7): 922–937. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20334.

33. Deng, X., Wei, Z., Tu, C., & Yin, Y. Sense of community improves community participation in Chinese residential communities: The mediating role of sense of community responsibility and prosocial tendencies. American Journal of Community Psychology 2023; 71: 166–173. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12605

34. Peterson, N. A., & Reid, R. J. Paths to psychological empowerment in an urban community: Sense of community and citizen participation in substance abuse prevention activities. Journal of Community Psychology 2003; 31(1): 25–38. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.10034

35. Wandersman, A., & Giamartino, G. A. Community and individual difference characteristics as influences on initial participation. American journal of community psychology 1980; 8(2): 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00912661

36. Hummon, D. M. City mouse, country mouse: The persistence of community identity. Qualitative Sociology 1986; 9(1): 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988246

37. Puddifoot, J. E. Dimensions of community identity. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 1995; 5(5): 357–370. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2450050507

38. Puddifoot, J. E. Exploring “personal” and “shared” sense of community identity in Durham City, England. Journal of Community Psychology 2003; 31(1): 87–106. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.10039

39. Van Vugt, M. Community identification moderating the impact of financial incentives in a natural social dilemma: Water conservation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2001; 27(11): 1440–1449. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672012711005

40. Luo, N., Zhang, M. L., Hu, M., & Wang, Y. How community interactions contribute to harmonious community relationships and customers’ identification in online brand community. International Journal of Information Management 2016; 36 (5): 673–685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.04.016

41. Yang, Z., & Xin, Z. Q. Community identity increases urban residents’ in-group emergency helping intention. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 2016; 26(6): 467–480. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2274

42. Fong, P., Cruwys, T., Haslam, C., & Haslam, S. A. Neighborhood identification and mental health: How social identification moderates the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and health. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2019; 61: 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.12.006

43. McNamara, N., Stevenson, C., Costa, S., Bowe, M., Wakefield, J., Kellezi, B., ... & Mair, E. Community identification, social support, and loneliness: The benefits of social identification for personal well-being. British Journal of Social Psychology 2021; 60(4): 1379–1402. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12456

44. Pretty, G. H., Chipuer, H. M., & Bramston, P. Sense of place amongst adolescents and adults in two rural Australian towns: The discriminating features of place attachment, sense of community and place dependence in relation to place identity. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2003; 23(3): 273–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(02)00079-8

45. Greenaway, K. H., Cruwys, T., Haslam, S. A., & Jetten, J. Social identities promote well‐being because they satisfy global psychological needs. European Journal of Social Psychology 2016; 46(3): 294-307. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2169

46. Quadt, L., Esposito, G., Critchley, H. D., & Garfinkel, S. N. Brain-body interactions underlying the association of loneliness with mental and physical health. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2020; 116: 283-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.015

47. Lim, M.H., Eres, R. & Vasan, S. Understanding loneliness in the twenty-first century: an update on correlates, risk factors, and potential solutions. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2020; 55: 793–810. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01889-7

48. Peplau, L. A., & Perlman, D. Perspectives on loneliness. In Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy, ed. New York: Wiley; 1982. pp. 1−18.

49. Mushtaq, R., Shoib, S., Shah, T., & Mushtaq, S. Relationship between loneliness, psychiatric disorders and physical health? A review on the psychological aspects of loneliness. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research 2014; 8(9): WE01–WE4. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/10077.4828

50. Beller, J. Loneliness and mortality: The moderating effect of positive affect. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being 2023; 15(1): 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12354

51. Luo, Y., Hawkley, L.C., Waite, L.J., Cacioppo, J.T. Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: a national longitudinal study. Social Science & Medicine 2012; 74: 907–914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.028

52. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T.B., Baker, M., Harris, T., Stephenson, D. Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspective of Psychological Science 2015; 10: 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916145683

53. Stickley, A., & Koyanagi, A. Loneliness, common mental disorders and suicidal behavior: Findings from a general population survey. Journal of Affective Disorders 2016; 197: 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.02.054

54. Perkins, D. D., Florin, P., Rich, R. C., Wandersman, A., & Chavis, D. M. Participation and the social and physical environment of residential blocks: Crime and community context. American Journal of Community Psychology 1990; 18: 83–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00922690

55. Zhang, J. How community participation promotes the relocation adjustment of older women: A moderated mediation analysis. Social Indicators Research 2019; 143(2): 637–655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-2006-0

56. Xin, Z. Q., & Ling, X. H. Urban residents’ community identity: Concept, measurement and its correlates. Psychological Research 2015; 8: 64–72. http://qikan.cqvip.com/Qikan/Article/Detail?id=666333154.

57. Yang, C., Wang, Y., Hall, B. J., & Chen, H. Sense of community responsibility and altruistic behavior in Chinese community residents: The mediating role of community identity. Current Psychology 2020; 39(6): 1999–2009. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00667-7

58. Hughes M. E., Waite L. J., Hawkley L. C., Cacioppo J. T. A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Research on Aging 2004; 26(6): 655–672. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027504268574 PMID: 18504506

59. Liu, T., Lu, S., Leung, D., Sze, L. C. Y., Kwok, W. W., Tang, J. Y. M., Luo, H., Lum, T. Y. S., Wong, G. H. Y. Adapting the UCLA 3-item loneliness scale for community-based depressive symptoms screening interview among older Chinese: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2020, 10, e041921.

60. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods 2008; 40(3): 879–891. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879

61. Hayes, A. F. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press; 2018.

62. Heath, S. C., Rabinovich, A., & Barreto, M. Putting identity into the community: Exploring the social dynamics of urban regeneration. European Journal of Social Psychology 2017; 47(7): 855–866. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2296

63. Almedom, A. M. Social capital and mental health: An interdisciplinary review of primary evidence. Social Science & Medicine 2005; 61(5): 943–964. c. 12.025

64. Helliwell, J. F. Well-being and social capital: Does suicide pose a puzzle? Social Indicators Research 2007; 81(3): 455–496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-006-0022-y

65. Ding, N., Berry, H. L., & O’Brien, L. V. One-year reciprocal relationship between community participation and mental wellbeing in Australia: A panel analysis. Social Science & Medicine 2015; 128: 246–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.01.022

66. Boyko, C. T., Cooper, R. Well-being in neighborhoods: current research and future practice. In The Handbook of Stress and Health, ed. John Wiley & Sons Ltd; 2017. pp. 555–569


DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v9i7.6104
(272 Abstract Views, 73 PDF Downloads)

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2024 Xiangshu Deng, Zhenyu Wei, Hang Lu, Ye Luo

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.