A social cure in the community: a mixed-method exploration of the role of social identity in the experiences and well-being of community volunteers

Bowe, M. ORCID: 0000-0002-0491-1472, Gray, D., McNamara, N. ORCID: 0000-0003-3123-3678, Stevenson, C. ORCID: 0000-0002-2438-6425, Wakefield, J. ORCID: 0000-0001-9155-9683, Kellezi, B. ORCID: 0000-0003-4825-3624, Wilson, I. ORCID: 0000-0001-6670-9328, Cleveland, M., Mair, E., Costa, S. ORCID: 0000-0002-2392-6039 and Halder, M. ORCID: 0000-0002-1608-6027, 2020. A social cure in the community: a mixed-method exploration of the role of social identity in the experiences and well-being of community volunteers. European Journal of Social Psychology. ISSN 0046-2772

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Abstract

Cohesive, resilient communities are vital to the well-being of residents. Uncovering the determinants of successful community identities is therefore essential to progressing the community health agenda. Engaging in community participation through volunteering may be one pathway to building local community identity and enhancing residents' health and well-being but the group processes connecting them remain unexplored. We conducted two studies investigated these dynamics using the 'Social Cure' perspective. First, we analysed 53 in-depth interviews with volunteers, finding that community relationships shaped their experiences and that volunteering influenced their sense of community belonging, support, and well-being. Second, a community survey (N=619) revealed that volunteering predicts well-being through the serial mediators of community identification and social support. Our paper demonstrates the Social Cure processes involved in community-based volunteering, their impact on community identity, support and well-being, and the implications for community health, and the provision and sustainability of community voluntary action and interventions.

Item Type: Journal article
Alternative Title: Volunteering and community identity
Publication Title: European Journal of Social Psychology
Creators: Bowe, M., Gray, D., McNamara, N., Stevenson, C., Wakefield, J., Kellezi, B., Wilson, I., Cleveland, M., Mair, E., Costa, S. and Halder, M.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18 July 2020
ISSN: 0046-2772
Identifiers:
NumberType
1343590Other
10.1002/ejsp.2706DOI
Divisions: Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by: Linda Sullivan
Date Added: 13 Jul 2020 12:51
Last Modified: 18 Jul 2021 03:00
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/40216

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