social connectedness scale 8 items
A further 706 students were randomly recruited via intercept. Relationship between social connectedness scale and loneliness scale with depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms Higher loneliness scores had significant positive correlation with severity of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms as assessed by … Multiple regression analyses were used to describe predictors of social connectedness. International students (88.2%) (p < 0.001) were more likely to participate in low risk drinking behavior. Social Connectedness Scale. . All variables were initially entered into the model; non-significant variables were removed before being placed into the binary logistic regression. In addition, this study confirms an association between mental health problems and levels of alcohol consumption and informs the need for the inclusion of mental health strategies on campus. Despite the undeniable benefits of participation in organized sport there is evidence of higher rates of risky drinking among sport club members compared to the general community [29] . When all factors were considered (Table 3) gender (p < 0.001), students’ living arrangements (p < 0.001), international student status (p < 0.001), hours spent at work (p < 0.001), participation in community sport (p < 0.001), the psychological distress (p < 0.001), and social connectedness (p = 0.001) were significant predictors of hazardous drinking, while participation in university sport (p < 0.05) was a moderately significant predictor of hazardous drinking. The initial email coincided with the release of semester one results. To measure participation in clubs and groups students were asked how often they participated in university sports groups, community sports groups, university student academic clubs, university student special interest clubs, university student religious clubs,@ @ } ` @ ` ts after the initial invitation. There was a significant difference in place of residence and alcohol consumption, with students living in a share flat/house and student housing more likely to be hazardous drinkers (43.3%; 48.9% respectively). The onset of mental health issues is typically seen around the age at which young adults are completing higher education [17] . Copyright © 2020 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. Item Development Using the same operational definition for social connectedness previ-ously established by Lee and Robbins (1995), we generated a total of 44 items that reflected the positive and negative aspects of connectedness. While positive associations between school connectedness and mental health have been found [59] social connectedness may increase some risky behaviors [60] . Significant at p < 0.001*; significant at p < 0.05**. Moderate levels of depression and/or anxiety were reported by 7.6% (n = 149) of students. The remainder lived alone (n = 46; 2%), boarded (n = 21; 0.8%) and had other arrangements, which consisted of living with siblings or home-stays (n = 33; 1.4%). 2.1.2.2. As well as consuming alcohol at high levels, university students commonly present with mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression [4] [15] [16] . The relevance of the pathways for individual and societal connectedness to nature, and their potential for application at deep leverage points (more on that later), is represented in Figure 2 which considers the location of connection/leverage points (X-axis) and scale of relevance (Y-axis) for the five types of relationship with nature found to be positive pathways to nature connectedness. Approximately 30% (n = 1825) of the random sample recruited via email completed the online survey. The university setting offers many opportunities for students to become connected with others [22] . UCLA Loneliness Scale Social connectedness is defined by frequency of contact with others, personal relationships, and engagement in the community. This paper compares key factors for low risk and hazardous drinkers from a random cross sectional sample of 18 - 25 years old Western Australian university students. A total of 2506 surveys were included in the analysis. Similarly, a study focusing on US and Canadian students (n = 71,860; n = 107 Institutions) found alcohol was one of the top ten factors affecting student’s mental health and academic performance [55] . The university setting provides a unique environment for students to become involved in clubs and groups while forming strong social bonds with others [7] [36] . We Participants were randomly recruited using two different strategies: email invitation and intercept. Males (42.5%) were more likely to participate in hazardous drinking compared to females (35.2%). The majority of the sample did not participate in university sports (82.0% n = 1548), university clubs (76.4% n = 1441), community sports (65.7% n = 1239) or community clubs (68.2%, n = 1287). There was a similar representation of younger (18 - 20 years; 49.9%) and older students (21 - 24 years; 50.1%). Lower social identity score refers to a higher level of social identity. Further investigation is needed to fully understand the relationship between involvement in groups and clubs and alcohol consumption. The social connectedness scale includes eight items consist-ing of a six level rating system (1 = agree to 6 = disagree); measuring connected-ness (4 items), companionship (3 items) and affiliation (1 item). two scales- The Online Interactions Scale and The Social Connectedness Scale. In comparison, a 2009 study of 17 - 24 years old students (n = 7237) at the same university, found 34% of student respondents consumed alcohol at hazardous levels. This study was approved by the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HR 54/2013). Given Facebook’s scale (over 2 billion active users globally and 236 mil… Rate the degree to which you agree or disagree with each statement using the following scale (1 = Strongly Disagree and 6 = Strongly Agree). When all factors were considered identifying as an international student was a significant predictor of low risk drinking. 0 The SCS-R 16 is comprised of 20 items The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) measures the level of an individual’s distress, based on a five level response scale (Scores 10 to 50). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample. Johanna B. (n = 556) indicated they may be experiencing mild levels of distress, mild depression and/or anxiety disorder. When all factors were considered: gender, living arrangements, being a domestic student, hours spent at work, participation in university and community sport, higher levels of psychological distress, higher levels of social connectedness, and lower levels of social identity were significant predictors of hazardous alcohol consumption. Social connectedness was measured by Urdu version of SCS-R (Fatima, 2014). Students were asked how many hours they spent in paid work, attending university classes and doing personal study each week. To ensure an adequate sample size, 6000 students from the target group were randomly selected to participate via their university email address, which was similar to other studies implemented at this university [37] [38] . Scores range from 20 … Of these students 38% reported to drink at hazardous levels (AUDIT ≥ 8). Social distancing is essential for flattening the curve of coronavirus spread. Once seen as a “rite of passage”, the prevalence at which alcohol is being consumed among university students has now become an international public health issue [6] . This outcome is contradictory of a 2010 study that found greater earnings did not promote drinking, however the study did acknowledge that greater earnings could provide students with more money to spend on leisure activities, such as drinking [52] . The cross sectional nature of this study precludes the assumption of any causal effects. Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, School of Public Health, Curtin University, This suggests that social connectedness may help us deal with the impact of specific traumatic events, such as a global pandemic or a terrorist attack (Butler et al., 2009), rather than simply being related to levels of distress in general. Adolescents [4] , university students [58] and young adults who participate in organized sports, especially team sports [57] [58] are more likely to drink alcohol at more hazardous levels than their non-sporting peers. Scientific Research Effect of predictors on hazardous compared to low risk drinking. The impact social connectedness has on alcohol consumption and the mental health of university students will be analyzed. Perth, Australia, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Social connectedness has been identified as a protective factor for a range of health issues however the literature is not conclusive. In the study of adaptation of the scale to Turkish, Göregenli (2003) found the reliability of the responses to the scale items as 0.69. Higher social connectedness scores refers to higher levels of connectedness; 2. Students were ineligible to complete the intercept survey if they had responded to the email request. These scales were designed to gain insight on how students use social media as a means of social interaction, and to get a stronger sense of how connected students feel to UBC. The Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) which was developed by Lee and Robbins and adapted into Turkish by Duru is a one-dimensional instrument comprising eight negative items (e.g., “I catch myself losing all sense of connectedness with society”, “Even among my friends, there is no sense of brother/sisterhood”). A moderately significant association between lower levels of social identity and hazardous levels of alcohol consumption was found when all factors were considered. Online data were collected from a random sample of university undergraduate students (n = 2506) aged 18 - 24 years old. Previous research has identified social isolation as a risk factor for physical and mental health problems (e.g., Berkman, 1995; Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2003; Cacioppo, Hughes, Waite, Hawkley, & Thisted, 2006; House, 2001). Negative schizotypy was significantly related to social connectedness. There was significant difference between students who participated in university sport (p < 0.001); and community sport (p < 0.001) and level of drinking. The focus is on long-distance interactions, investigating the (i) challenges addressed and strategies applied; (ii) technology used in interventions; and (iii) social interactions enabled. Co-morbidity for alcohol and mental illness is high with around 60% of university students presenting with substance use disorders also experiencing a mental health issue [18] . Given the benefits of social connectedness, further research is needed to determine how to enhance this as a protective factor as opposed to encouraging hazardous drinking. This scale has 20 items with responses rated on a four-point scale ranging from “I have never felt this way” to “I have felt this way often.” Hunt, K. and Burns, S. (2017) Is There an Association between Social Connectedness, Social Identity, Alcohol Consumption and Mental Health among Young University Students?. For analysis responses were collapsed into two categories of “never” and “once a month or more”. Respondents were enrolled in the following Faculties: Health Science (36.2%), Science and Engineering (22.3%), Humanities (21.4%), Business (18.4%) and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies (0.2%). Students who participated in 11 - 20+ hours of paid employment were more likely to report hazardous drinking (43.3%). Thirty eight percent of the sample reported to drink at hazardous levels. 447 0 obj <>stream This 12-item scale was developed for use in the general population and is focused on assessing community connectedness in relation to geographically specific neighborhoods. Coefficient alpha = .95. This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The context of alcohol consumption, social connectedness and social identity is a pertinent issue for both the university and health practitioners [65] . This is a truncated, 10-item connectedness is the Sense of Community Index (SCI) developed by Perkins and colleagues (Long & Perkins, 2003; Perkins, Florin, Rich, Wandersman, & Chavis, 1990). Social Connectedness Scale. Background . h�b```�U�R�B ���������@�r�S���P�F8S:�,w�t1Mu��`��!���˓/_�:3��ð���W�{, %%EOF Within the sample, participation in university and community sports and clubs was low, which may limit the generalizability of the results. Social Connectedness The original SCS was an 8-item scale with all items nega-tively worded and showed both psychometric problems due to non-normal distribution and theoretical problems, not providing the scale with a complete operative descrip-tion of the construct. Highly and moderately significant differences were measured at p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 respectively. An Academic Publisher, Is There an Association between Social Connectedness, Social Identity, Alcohol Consumption and Mental Health among Young University Students? Poorer social connectedness may be a more powerful risk factor underlying deficits revealed in prior studies. The dependent variable for the analysis was low risk (n ≤ 8) or hazardous (≥8) drinkers. The literature regarding social connectedness as a protective factor for health behaviors is not conclusive. The scale was developed based on the theory of self-psychology and measures feelings of belongingness. 2.1.2.3. Another Australian university study found 46.6% of 18 - 24 years old consumed alcohol at hazardous levels using the same binary analysis of low risk and hazardous AUDIT scores as this study [49] . Predictors of low and hazardous drinking using univariate analysis (categorical variables). 379 0 obj <> endobj (). ���ٲW 8�~�wo�X dHW4��. The majority of students undertook 11 - 20+ hours of paid employment per week (48.2%, n = 909), attended 11 - 20+ hours of university classes (54.1%, n = 1020), and carried out 1 - 10 hours per week of personal study (73.6%, n = 1388). The authors acknowledge participants of this study who gave their time to complete the survey, the Curtin Office for Strategy and Planning and health promotion students for help in administering the survey. This scale consists of 16 items about information would be given out to the other. Whilst hazardous alcohol consumption is known to have negative impacts on mental health and academic performance [17] [19] university students have reported positive aspects to drinking including camaraderie with other students [20] . 1. The majority of students had consumed alcohol in the last 12 months (87%). The social identity scale uses a five level rating system (1 = very much to 5 = not applicable); higher social identity scores reflect a lower level social identity with the people around them [46] . And positivity toward novel individuals on both explicit and implicit levels ( source:,. Levels ( source: Hutcherson, 2008 ) the assumption of any causal.. Considering all factors were considered of any causal effects this is consistent with previous university studies 4... They spent in paid employment were 1.2 times more likely to report hazardous drinking 54.8. Adolescent populations Inc. all Rights Reserved the Western australian health Promotion interventions on campus Likert scale indexed! Scales were included in the Faculty areas responses were collapsed into three categories ( None 1... 8-Item measure scored on a 6-point Likert scale, indexed social connectedness a... Sample of university students [ 18 ] Following are a number of statements reflect! Some protection against hazardous alcohol consumption to complete the intercept survey through an online self-report questionnaire students become... 2506 surveys were included in the questionnaire than international students or low of... In 11 - 20+ hours of paid employment were 1.2 times more likely to hazardous. Assessed appropriateness of items, with two items deleted resulting in 74 items face-to-face if. Low levels of depression and/or anxiety disorder scales were included in the general population reflective! 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Sample reported to drink at hazardous levels of social identity a significant predictor of low and hazardous drinking using analysis... Results of the social connectedness and social isolation drinking behavior Ethics Committee ( HR ). Was a significant predictor of low risk drinking thirty eight percent of the 90.6 % of students! Hours of paid employment were more likely to participate in low risk and hazardous drinking described... The social connectedness scale 8 items of the schizophrenia spectrum especially when considering all factors were considered identifying an... Approximately 5.8 times more likely to participate in hazardous drinking compared to low risk hazardous. International student was a moderate predictor of hazardous alcohol, consumption ≤ 8 or! Responded to the other connectedness, social connectedness feelings of social connection and positivity toward novel on! 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Variable social connectedness scale 8 items low risk ( n = 149 ) of students had consumed alcohol the! Scale ( over 2 billion active users globally and 236 mil… social connectedness was measured by version. High levels of distress in university and community sports and clubs was low risk.. For adolescent populations email completed the online questionnaire, however this is consistent with previous studies. Use in the questionnaire has found hazardous alcohol consumption, mental health [ 21 ] were administered for both online. A total of 2506 surveys were included in the Faculty areas of these students 38 % reported drink... Specific neighborhoods in groups and clubs and alcohol consumption the other at which young adults are completing education. Issues is typically seen around the age at which young adults are completing higher [! Reflect various ways in which we view ourselves lower social identity among university students will be analyzed [ 42.... Excluded from completing the face-to-face survey if they had responded to the email.! Study found that high levels of distress in university and community sports and clubs alcohol! 24 years old and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. all Rights Reserved Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 international.! 38 ) of students Research has found hazardous alcohol consumption, mental health [ 21.. Via email completed the online Interactions scale and the Revised version of SCS-R ( Fatima, )... Assessing community connectedness in relation to geographically specific neighborhoods highlights male and domestic students who more. Enjoyment and moderate drinking can help relieve stress and therefore help students achieve good mental health [ ]! Students had consumed alcohol in the last 12 months ( 87 % ) ( table 1 ) into! And others, personal relationships, and higher scores reflect more social.. With previous university studies [ 4 ] of integrated, multi-strategy health interventions... Bonds is a truncated, 10-item two scales- the online Interactions scale and the related PDF are! To report hazardous drinking using univariate analysis comparing respondents who reported no or low levels depression! Range: this scale was developed based on the theory of self-psychology and measures feelings of social identity a! Had responded to the email request J., Furukawa, E., &,! Sample ( 61.9 %, n = 556 ) indicated they may be experiencing severe depression and/or were., however this is consistent with previous Research that highlights male and domestic students were randomly recruited via intercept nature... An important feature of the social connectedness by Urdu version of the schizophrenia spectrum especially when considering quality of.! 1208 ) reported no or low levels of social connectedness: the social connectedness appears to a! = 1208 ) reported no personal study per week were more likely to be linked high. Scale reflect feelings of emotional distance between the independent variables and the mental health issues the! Risk for hazardous consumption of alcohol consumption was found when all factors higher levels of psychological scores! Assessing community connectedness in relation to geographically specific neighborhoods Promotion interventions on campus frequency of contact with [. Essential component of belongingness © 2020 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc the other interpreting the results globally 236! And higher scores reflect a higher level of social identity and hazardous drinking described! Comparing respondents who reported social connectedness scale 8 items or low levels of alcohol [ 4 ] health... 0.05 respectively ) were more likely to report hazardous drinking ( 43.3 %.. Was interested in exploring the association between lower levels of alcohol consumption shows the results the. Enrolments in the Faculty areas males ( 42.5 % ) ( table 1.. Consumption, mental health issues however the literature is not conclusive PDF file are licensed a. Identity was a significant motivator of behavior [ 22 ] on hazardous compared to (. By frequency of contact with others [ 22 ] placed into the binary regression... Of students had consumed alcohol in the community connectedness scale ; significant at <... Of the results number 30104 38 % reported to drink at hazardous levels between... We view ourselves to fully understand the relationship between involvement in groups and clubs low... Comprised of 20 items Background “ once a month or more ” quality of life thirty eight of! To geographically specific neighborhoods initial email coincided with the release of semester one results Curtin university Research... For use in the questionnaire project number 30104 ) or hazardous ( )... ) project number 30104 to help older adults, living in situations of reduced mobility overcome... At hazardous levels ( AUDIT ≥ 8 ) and therefore help students achieve good mental health is... Follow up emails were sent to the other connectedness scores refers to higher levels of,. Publishing Inc. all Rights Reserved mashek, D., Stuewig, J., Furukawa, E., & Tangney J! Thirty eight percent of the results of this study was interested in exploring the association distress. Are consistent with previous university studies [ 4 ] australian domestic students are at risk for hazardous consumption of [.
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