The Influence of Developmental Contexts in Adolescent’s Expected Sociopolitical Participation through the Sense of Unity: An Analysis of the Mediation Model Invariance through Sex, Age, and Socioeconomic Status

Vanesa Salado (), Concepción Moreno-Maldonado (), Carmen Moreno () and Francisco Rivera ()
Additional contact information
Vanesa Salado: C/Camilo José Cela, s/n, 41018, Universidad de Sevilla
Concepción Moreno-Maldonado: C/Camilo José Cela, s/n, 41018, Universidad de Sevilla
Carmen Moreno: C/Camilo José Cela, s/n, 41018, Universidad de Sevilla
Francisco Rivera: C/Camilo José Cela, s/n, 41018, Universidad de Sevilla

Child Indicators Research, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, No 5, 107-136

Abstract: Abstract Civic engagement plays a positive role in adolescent wellbeing, as well as being the basis for maintaining a democratic society. This research analyzed how perceived support from developmental contexts contributes to adolescent civic engagement –assessed through their expectations of future sociopolitical participation–, mediated by sense of unity, and differences according to sex, age, and socioeconomic status. The sample included 3,715 participants (13–18 years old) from the 2019 OPINA Barometer who were selected using multistage random sampling stratified by conglomerates. The measures assessed sex, age, family, friends, classmates, and teacher support, the expectations of future sociopolitical participation, and sense of unity. Socioeconomic status was assessed by the Family Affluence Scale (FAS). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, mean comparisons, and structural equation models using bootstrapping and measurement invariance. Results showed developmental contexts to significantly affect expected sociopolitical participation only through the mediator role of the sense of unity. In addition, peer support (both friends and classmates) showed a stronger direct influence on sense of unity –and indirect influence on the expectations of future sociopolitical participation– than family and teachers. The model was invariant across sex, age, and FAS. This research highlights that a sense of unity, derived from feeling part of a larger dependable structure, is crucial for establishing behaviors in the interest of the common good, and that this social connectedness is learned in the most immediate developmental contexts, specifically, that of peers.

Keywords: Adolescents; Expected sociopolitical participation; Sense of unity; Social support; Civic engagement; Measurement invariance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12187-021-09853-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:chinre:v:15:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s12187-021-09853-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... f-life/journal/12187

DOI: 10.1007/s12187-021-09853-w

Access Statistics for this article

Child Indicators Research is currently edited by Asher Ben-Arieh

More articles in Child Indicators Research from Springer, The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().