Community Attachment Among Leaders in Five Rural Communities1

Abstract The relationship between the different ways leaders may relate to rural communities and their ability to relate to extracommunity individuals and organizations is examined. Drawing from the insights of Merton (1957) into local and cosmopolitan influentials and a newer literature on community attachment, two dimensions of attachment to the local community are identified. A survey of 75 leaders in five midwestern rural communities provides evidence that sociodemographic and social-network characteristics of leaders have different relationships to the two dimensions. Implications of the findings for understanding the effectiveness of leadership in rural communities are discussed.     

Rural Community Satisfaction and Attachment in Mass Consumer Society1

Abstract Previous models of community satisfaction and attachment have not included personal economic attitudes and behaviors as independent variables. Their inclusion is theoretically justified when residents of communities are viewed as consumers in a larger social/economic context first and residents of a particular community second. As locally-oriented economic processes—once part of the community experience—were removed to nonlocal markets, local economic and demographic attributes became less important to rural residents' experience of community. In two rural communities with extreme scores on a service center viability index, satisfaction with employment and location of employment are important predictors.     

Community Attachment and Depression Among Residents in Two Rural Midwestern Communities1

Abstract The relationship between community attachment and depression is examined in a sample survey (N = 295) in two midwestern rural towns and their surrounding open-country areas. When community attachment, a variable through which a rural resident's social integration into the local community affects mental health, was low, higher levels of symptoms of depression were observed. The economic viability of the local community was found to have a relationship to mean depression scores in the towns but not in the open-country areas.     

Community Attachment in a Rural Setting: A Refinement and Empirical Test of the Systemic Model1

Abstract As they examine the complex issues currently facing rural America, rural sociologists draw increasingly on studies of community attachment. Because this research tradition has established the superiority of the systemic model, recent studies in rural and urban settings have focused on the conceptualization and operationalization of its components. We introduce four operational refinements to this model, and we test our refined model with data from one geographic area in south-west Louisiana. We find that, although our operational refinements improve our understanding of community attachment, additional refinements are necessary. We conclude by exploring the implications of community attachment studies for attempts to revitalize community in rural settings.     

Community Size,Individual Social Position,and Community Attachment1

Abstract The objective of this investigation is to elaborate and test the linear development and systemic models of community attachment. We focus on the interplay of community size, five social position variables, and three dimensions of community attachment, namely, involvement, amity, and sentiment. Data are obtained from a statewide migration telephone survey of 851 respondents aged 18 and over, conducted in Utah in October 1988. We focus on a weighted subsample of 415 nonmetropolitan respondents. Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) techniques are employed. Contrary to the linear development model, community size did not have an independent inverse impact on community involvement, amity, and sentiment. Results do vary by social position and community attachment dimensions.     

Place Attachment and Community Development

ABSTRACT

Place attachment is a multidimensional concept about bonds people have for the places with which they interact. We are intrigued by its implications and potential influences on community development, particularly when explored from a community-oriented view. We use the case of Sunnyslope (a place within the Phoenix, Arizona municipal boundary) and a community development assessment conducted with stakeholders there. This community has survived through the decades, despite being subsumed into one of the largest cities in the United States. From 27 stakeholder interviews, we uncovered deep attachments to Sunnyslope that appear to have an interaction effect with social community capacity.     

Transportation of Older People in a Rural Community

Abstract

This paper documents changes over the period 1982 to 1997 in the risks and costs of involuntary job loss among different occupational groups. Using data from the Displaced Workers Surveys, it shows that the rate of job loss increased among white-collar workers. This increased displacement risk results from the growing proportion of jobs lost because positions or shifts were abolished, a reason that likely captures the much-publicized effects of corporate restructuring. The evidence regarding occupational shifts in the costs of job loss is mixed: The reemployment rates of all occupational groups rose during the recent economic expansion, and the reemployment chances of those displaced from professional and managerial jobs remained comparatively high. However, the post-displacement wage losses of managerial employees have increased both over time and relative to those of other occupational groups. The increase in the proportionate wage loss of this occupational group is not explained by compositional effects and may be the result of organizational change.     

The Persistence of Neighboring as a Determinant of Community Attachment: A Community Field Perspective*

We examined the community field perspective as a complement to the linear‐development and systemic models of community attachment, wherein community attachment is defined as a social bond to the community of place. We empirically evaluated indicators of the actor's interaction within the social field, such as the perceived quality of neighboring and density of friendships, using social survey and census data from 99 communities in 1994 and 2004 and evaluated as well the percentage change in these indicators from 1994 to 2004. Results show that the community field perspective can complement previous approaches by highlighting the importance of perceived neighboring and friendship density and the persistence of perceived neighboring over time. We suggest implications for community development efforts aimed at enhancing community attachment.     

Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention in a Rural Native American Community

Nationally, the United States has a higher rate of teen pregnancy than any other industrialized nation. Native American youth have a higher birth rate than the national rate. A full-year healthy relationship program, based on Native American teachings, traditions, and cultural norms, was delivered to all eighth-grade students at a rural tribal school and a new group of eighth graders every year for 5 years, to teach healthy relationships and encourage abstinence. This article summarizes the Discovery Dating curriculum and compares the participants in the healthy relationship program to the comparison group, at the end of 5 years, in regards of the number of pregnancies as well as self-reported sexual behavior. The comparison group comprises students in the same community who attended a public middle school, rather than the tribal middle school, but the same public high school. All students had a similar age, socioeconomic status, culture, and ethnicity. Students who received the healthy relationship program (treatment group) had fewer pregnancies than the students who did not receive the healthy relationship program (comparison group). Of those who reported that they were sexually active, the students who received the healthy relationship program (treatment group) reported higher condom use than the students who did not receive the healthy relationship program (comparison group).     

Civic Engagement Among Older Adults in a Rural Community

Abstract

This is a report of the second and final stage of a research project evaluating courses for community activists in Israel. We compared 286 graduates of Schools for Community Activists, of whom 198 were still active in their communities and 98 were not, with 138 activists and 131 non-active residents of the same neighbourhoods who had never participated in courses for activists. We noted no significant socio-economic or demographic differences between the graduates and the non-graduates. However, on a range of variables, we found consistent and generally significant differences between the graduate and non-graduate activists: the former reported higher levels of activism, knowledge and skills, higher community involvement and deeper community roots, and assessed more highly the prestige of community involvement. Few differences were noted on their assessment of the benefits and losses of community activity. Since the graduates and non-graduates come from similar backgrounds, we conclude that the courses made a significant contribution to the development and socialization of those activists who participated in them.     

Dimensions of Community Attachment and Their Relationship to Well‐Being in the Amenity‐Rich Rural West*

Abstract This research had two primary objectives: 1) to broaden the sociological construct of community attachment to incorporate both social and natural environment dimensions of attachment, and 2) to examine how variations in attachment relate to two dimensions of well‐being in natural amenity‐rich rural communities. The specific dimensions of well‐being measured are two important factors identified in previous research—collective action and perceptions of open communication. Factor analysis of fourteen measures of attachment indicated social attachment and attachment to the natural environment are distinct dimensions of the broader concept of community attachment. Participation in collective action and perceptions of open communication within a respondent's community explained only a small portion of the variance in levels of both social and natural environment attachment. Religious affiliation and length of residence were strongly associated with social attachment, supporting findings from previous empirical work. However, length of residence and religious affiliation were not statistically associated with levels of attachment to the natural environment, further reinforcing the distinction between the two dimensions of attachment.     

Village Facilities and Social Place Attachment in the Rural Netherlands

Economies of scale and increased mobility have led to the closure of many village facilities. Most residents do not rely on locally available facilities anymore for their primary function. However, facilities are also meeting places. A decline in facilities may therefore negatively influence residents' social place attachment. This article examines which facilities impact residents' social place attachment. It also explores whether different facilities impact the social place attachment of different groups of residents differently. In our analyses, we make a distinction between rural areas near and away from urban areas. Based on structural equation modeling, we conclude that in rural areas, both near and away from cities, cafés and supermarkets may well matter for residents' social attachment. In contrast to common expectations, community centers, primary schools, and sports facilities were not shown to enhance social place attachment. Considering the increasing self‐reliance of local communities, these findings raise doubts about the use of public services to revitalize local communities.     

Context of Career Decisions: Women Reared in a Rural Community

This study investigated the influences on the career decisions of women who grew up in a rural community. Forty women were interviewed who graduated in the upper 10% of their high school classes in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. The results are described in three components: gender role beliefs, factors, and contexts. Gender role beliefs were the most pervasive influences found. Other factors were (a) information, (b) meeting others' expectations, (c) barriers, (d) sense of empowerment, (e) conditions of work, and (f) personal values. The participants were also affected by their social and historical contexts and their development stages.     

Evidence of a Housing Decision Chain in Rural Community Vitality*

Abstract The purpose of this research was to explore and explain the role housing plays in rural community vitality. Community vitality refers to economic strength and social well‐being. In spring 2002 we collected primary interview data from informants in 134 small rural communities in nine north‐central states and identified related secondary data from the U.S. census. We developed a structural‐equation‐path model, which supported a “housing decision chain” that influenced community vitality. Based on this research, local housing decisions do play an important role in community vitality. Strong local leaders use housing planning to secure funding to produce a change in the quantity of housing, which in turn positively influences community vitality. Housing inventory also mediated the effects of total population and percentage population change on community vitality, indicating that housing supply is a fundamental ingredient in community growth strategies. These findings support the conclusion that a combination of housing plans and strategies orchestrated by skilled, committed leadership strengthens rural communities. Heretofore the ling between housing and community vitality has not been investigated; evidence‐based data has been missing from the debate on viable rural community‐development strategies.     

Community Based Rural Health Care in India

SUMMARY

India is a large country, geographically as well as popula-tionwise. The majority of its population lives in rural areas, i.e., villages. Again, most of the villages are in remote areas. The State has been making sincere efforts to make the basic social services accessible to all in the rural area. Health being one of the vital services, it has been a challenging task before the State to extend it to the remote rural areas, many of which are not yet connected by motorable roads. As a result of various experiments carried out over the last five decades, the State has developed a fairly well-designed primary health care service, and it is in operation in rural areas. However, there appears to be a striking gap between the delivery of health services in rural areas and utilization of the services by the people. Attempts have been made in this article to apprise the readers of the health service system in India, and it discusses the issue of health service delivery at the village level. The discussion is based on a small study carried out in a rural area in the State of West Bengal (India) where students of social work of the University to which the author belongs are placed for field work. Following the inputs received through supervision of the students' work, the study was initiated and conducted.

This article based on the study seeks to focus on peoples' perception of the health services as provided by the State in rural areas, which in turn gets reflected in the extent to which they utilize the services. Social workers being an integral part of the health set up, their role bears special significance. Discussion, therefore, centres on scope for social work intervention at the community level as well as in institutional level of the health service delivery system to make the services meaningful and effective in rural areas. In fact, it has to take the leadership role in reforming the service delivery system when required.     

Community Attachment,Communication Mediation,and Nonprofit Participation: An Integrated Community Communication Approach

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Nonprofit participation in the form of giving and volunteering has long been viewed as the building blocks of...     

Women's Voices: Explaining Poverty and Plenty in a Rural Community*

Abstract This paper explores how a multiclass sample of white rural women in an economically depressed, overwhelmingly nonfarm community explain both their own families' economic circumstances and those of the most disadvantaged families in their community. All women in the sample—even those with a history of economic instability and welfare receipt—articulate an ethic of family self‐sufficiency. They uniformly believe that anyone who can work should work, although they vary in their definition of who “can work.” In general, the lower the social class, the greater the understanding of the social processes that precipitate and perpetuate poverty. Both working‐class and poor women clearly recognize the limitations of the local market for labor. Sample women are ambivalent about welfare receipt and welfare reform. Although they believe that families should be self‐supporting, many recognize the necessity of welfare for the survival of some families in the community.     

A Participant-Informed Model for Preventing Teen Pregnancy in a Rural Latino Community

Recognizing the need for health prevention efforts that are tailored to the needs of Latinos in rural communities, the researchers utilized focus groups to ascertain the perspectives of Latino children and their parents who participated in a teen pregnancy prevention program. This article presents a Latino-driven conceptual design of an evidence-informed comprehensive, community-based, and culturally sensitive teen-pregnancy prevention program. The new model, called the Family-Festival Prevention Model, (1) used culturally relevant and experiential learning activities, (2) promoted community connections, (3) incorporated strategies that engaged fathers, and (4) engaged important faith-based and community stakeholders to involve the whole community in prevention efforts.