Sense of Community Among Individuals in Substance Abuse Recovery

Abstract

This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Psychological Sense of Community Scale (PSCS). Psychological sense of community is a construct that has been developed primarily in the field of community psychology and deals with the feelings of connectedness, group membership, and need fulfillment that members of small groups or larger communities may have toward other members. The current research explores this concept in the evaluation of Oxford Houses, residential homes designed to provide mutual support to individuals recovering from substance abuse dependence, through the use of the PSCS. Overall, the PSCS was a multidimensional scale exhibiting a cluster of negatively phrased items with a large number of highly loading items. With a three factor structure, two factors were nearly perfectly correlated and neither sex nor race bias affected the initial formulation. However, sex and race were significant (but of small magnitude) covariates in a later sample, and highly reliable subscales were formulated with five items. Taken together, the PSCS was capable of performing as an acceptable measurement model in latent analysis.

Development of a Three-Factor Psychological Sense of Community Scale

“…This line of research emerged from several prior studies our group had conducted with sense of community (Stevens et al, 2011), and it was through this work that we recognized some of the limitations in our scales (Bishop et al, 1997; Stevens et al, 2012) as well as others (Perkins, Florin, Rich, Wandersman, & Chavis, 1990). This led us to begin working on a new measure to correct the methodological and theoretical flaws of past studies.…”

“…In its theoretical configuration, the scale was divided into three constructs: mission, connections, and reciprocal responsibility, and individuals were asked about membership to a group not confined to a specific geographic location. Stevens, Jason, Ferrari, Olson, and Legler (2012) found that the Perceived Sense of Community Scale had excellent observed reliability. However the length of the Perceived Sense of Community Scale was problematic and factor analyses revealed that negatively worded items loaded together.…”

Reciprocal Responsibility and Social Support among Women in Substance Use Recovery

“…Sample items include: a feeling of fellowship exists between members and members are willing to help each other. The Reciprocal Responsibility subscale has demonstrated strong internal consistency with Oxford House residents in prior studies (Bishop et al, 1997; Stevens et al, 2012). Scores on this scale were used to measure house level Reciprocal Responsibility.…”

Methodological Pluralism and Mixed Methodology to Strengthen Community Psychology Research: An Example From Oxford House

“…For example, a sense of community scale has been developed (Bishop, Chertok, & Jason, 1997) and validated with a sample of Oxford House residents (Stevens, Jason, Ferrari, Olson, & Legler, 2012). …”