Sense of community as a mediator between study abroad experiences and perceived well-being

Author

Raymond Rider, Pepperdine UniversityFollow
Cindy Miller-Perrin, Pepperdine University

Volume

29

Number

1

Department

Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Date

2023

Abstract

This study examined the nature and extent of the relationship between studying abroad, sense of community, and well-being. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Sense of Community Index, and the Perceived Wellness Scale via an online survey emailed to juniors and seniors (n = 267) at a university in southern California. The results of the study suggested: 1) sense of community and well-being are significantly related (r = .35, p < .001), 2) those who study abroad (n = 149) differ significantly from those who do not study abroad (n = 118) on sense of community (p < .001, d = .52) and well-being (p = .03, d = .27), and 3) sense of community is a mediator of the relationship between study abroad experience and well-being. These findings have important implications for any institute which seeks to promote well-being.

Keyword

sense of community; study abroad; international programs; well-being

Discipline

Psychology

Document Type

article

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Recommended Citation

Rider, Raymond and Miller-Perrin, Cindy (2023) "Sense of community as a mediator between study abroad experiences and perceived well-being," Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 29: No. 1, Article 28.
Available at: https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol29/iss1/28