Civic Engagement in Socially Excluded Young Adults Promotes Well-Being: The Mediation of Self-Efficacy, Meaning in Life, and Identity Exploration

Irit Birger Sagiv (), Limor Goldner () and Yifat Carmel
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Irit Birger Sagiv: School of Creative Arts Therapies, Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences, The Emili Sagol CATs Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Limor Goldner: School of Creative Arts Therapies, Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences, The Emili Sagol CATs Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Yifat Carmel: School of Creative Arts Therapies, Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences, The Emili Sagol CATs Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 16, 1-15

Abstract: Civic engagement is thought to contribute to well-being among young adults. However, less is known about the ways in which civic engagement promotes well-being in general and in particular in socially excluded populations. This study investigated whether civic engagement contributes to life satisfaction and hope in a sample of 127 socially excluded young Israeli women who participated in social activism programs for a period of eight months. A mediation model incorporating self-efficacy, meaning in life, and identity exploration was used to examine the contribution of positive attitudes toward civic engagement, civic engagement skills, and political awareness to the participants’ life satisfaction and hope. Indirect effects were found between positive attitudes toward civic engagement, civic engagement skills, and political awareness and the participants’ life satisfaction and hope via self-efficacy. Positive attitudes toward civic engagement and political awareness also predicted the participants’ life satisfaction via meaning in life. A positive direct effect was found between political awareness and hope. However, contrary to the hypothesis, a negative direct effect was found between positive attitudes toward civic engagement and life satisfaction. Civic engagement skills and political awareness also predicted identity exploration. These findings underscore the need for clinicians to be aware of the potential benefits of civic engagement for the well-being of socially excluded populations.

Keywords: civic engagement; well-being; hope; disadvantage; emerging adults; identity exploration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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