Department of Psychology, 4260University of Rhode Island, Chafee Hall, Kingston, RI, USA.
Department of Political Science, 4260University of Rhode Island, Washburn Hall, Kingston, RI, USA.
Am J Health Promot. 2021 Sep;35(7):917-928. doi: 10.1177/08901171211001242. Epub 2021 Mar 19.
The relationship between civic engagement and mental health is generally positive, yet particularly complex among those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and women. The current study examined pathways between civic engagement and well-being to clarify its merit as a health promotional tool for young adults.
Cross-sectional design using an online questionnaire.
Participants were recruited at a mid-sized Northeastern US university.
Participants ( = 438) were primarily White (78%) and female (72%).
Demographics, socioeconomic status, civic engagement behavior, well-being, meaning in life, self-efficacy toward service, and social support.
Structural equation modeling to test an a priori model of civic engagement behavior and well-being in young adults. Models were conducted across men and women, covarying for social support.
The full effects model fit well, demonstrating positive relationships between civic engagement and well-being for both men and women with mediation by service self-efficacy and meaning in life (χ(2) = 1.05, = .59; = 1.0; = .00, 90% [.00, .07]; = .46). Type of engagement (civic, electoral, sociopolitical) showed mixed results in relation to well-being.
Civic activity was associated with well-being when mediated by service self-efficacy while sociopolitical voice correlated to stronger well-being when mediated by meaning in life. Future longitudinal studies should be conducted among more socioeconomically diverse populations to verify the role of civic engagement in health promotion.
公民参与和心理健康之间的关系通常是积极的，但在社会经济背景较低的人群和女性中尤其复杂。本研究探讨了公民参与和幸福感之间的关系途径，以澄清其作为促进年轻人健康的工具的价值。
使用在线问卷的横断面设计。
参与者是在美国东北部一所中等规模的大学招募的。
参与者（n=438）主要是白人（78%）和女性（72%）。
人口统计学、社会经济地位、公民参与行为、幸福感、生活意义、服务自我效能感和社会支持。
结构方程模型测试青年公民参与行为和幸福感的先验模型。对男性和女性进行了模型测试，对社会支持进行了协方差分析。
完整效应模型拟合良好，表明公民参与与男性和女性的幸福感之间存在正相关关系，服务自我效能感和生活意义在其中起到中介作用（χ²（2）=1.05，=0.59；=1.0；=0.00，90% [0.00，0.07]；=0.46）。参与类型（公民、选举、社会政治）与幸福感的关系结果不一。
当服务自我效能感中介时，公民活动与幸福感相关，而当社会政治声音通过生活意义中介时，与更强的幸福感相关。未来应在更多社会经济多样化的人群中进行纵向研究，以验证公民参与在健康促进中的作用。
