Abstract
A number of personal and familial stressors are supposedly stressful. However, their individual impacts on the person’s sense of belonging remain largely uncharted. The study thereby examines the impacts of the stressors in general and in relation to personal and familial background characteristics. Such examination adheres to the perspective of resource theory, which envisions that resources are salutary and relieving the stress of stressors by compensating for resource loss. A survey of 1,200 residents in Taiwan provided data for the examination. Results revealed that work-to-family conflict and family disbanding were two stressors weakening sense of belonging. Furthermore, the former stressor was more stressful to people of higher social class, whereas the latter stressor was more stressful to people with higher family income but lower education. The results imply certain ways to employ resources properly to tackle the stress of stressors.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regressions: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Argyle, M. (1999). Causes and correlates of happiness. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Well-being: The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology (pp. 353–373), New York: Russell Sage.
Anderson, A. R., & Miller, C. J. (2003). Class matters: Human and social capital in the entrepreneurial process. Journal of Socio-Economics, 32, 17–36.
Beck, U. (2006). Living in the world risk society. Economy & Society, 31(3), 329–345.
Bjornberg, U., & Ekbrand, H. (2008). Financial and practical kin support in Sweden: Normative guidelines and practice. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 39(1), 73–95.
Bohnke, P. (2008). Does society matter? Life satisfaction in the enlarged Europe. Social Indicators Research, 87, 189–210.
Branner, J., & Nilsen, A. (2005). Individualisation, choice and structure: A discussion of current trends on sociological analysis. Sociological Review, 35, 412–428.
Carbery, J., & Buhrmester, D. (1998). Friendship and need fulfillment during three phases of young adulthood. Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, 15(3), 393–409.
Chang, W.-C. (2009). Social capital and subjective happiness in Taiwan. International Journal of Social Economics, 36(8), 844–868.
Chang, W., Wong, W. K., Teo, G., & Fam, A. (1997). The motivation to achieve in Singapore: In search of a core construct. Personality and Individual Differences, 23(5), 885–895.
Chen, C. (2006). Does the completeness of a household-based convoy matter in intergenerational support exchanges? Social Indicators Research, 79, 117–142.
Cichy, K. E., Fingerman, K. L., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2007). Age differences in types of interpersonal tensions. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 64(2), 171–193.
Conger, K. J., Rueter, M. A., & Conger, R. D. (2000). The role of economic pressure in the lives of patients and their adolescents: The family stress model. In L. J. Crockett & R. K. Silbereisen (Eds.), Negotiating adolescence in times of social change (pp. 201–223). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Costa, D. L., & Kahn, M. E. (2010). Healthy wartime stress, and unit cohesion: Evidence from Union Army Veteran. Demography, 47(1), 45–66.
Cross, J. L. M., & Lin, N. (2008). Access to social capital and status attainment in the United States: Racial/ethnic and gender differences. In N. Lin & B. H. Erickson (Eds.), Social capital: An international research program (pp. 364–379). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dayton-Johnson, J. (2003). Knitted warmth: The simple analytics of social cohesion. Journal of Socio-Economics, 32, 623–645.
Degenne, A., Lebeaux, M.-O., & Lemel, Y. (2004). Does social capital offset social and economic inequalities? Social capital in everyday life. In H. Flap & B. Volker (Eds.), Creation and returns of social capital: A new research program (pp. 51–73). London: Routledge.
Diener, E., & Fujita, F. (1995). Resources, personal strivings, and subjective well-being: A nomothetic and idiographic approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(5), 926–935.
Dolton, P., Levacic, R., & Vignoles, A. (2004). The economic impact of schooling resources. In C. Sofer (Ed.), Human capital over the life cycle: A European perspective (pp. 36–52). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Drobnic, S., Beham, B., & Prag, P. (2010). Good job, good life? Working conditions and quality of life in Europe. Social Indicators Research, 99, 205–225.
Ennis, N. E., Hobfoll, S. E., & Schroder, K. E. E. (2000). Money doesn’t talk, it swears: How economic stress and resistance resources impact inner-city women’s depressive mood. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28(2), 149–173.
Espvall, M., & Dellgren, P. (2008). Can we count on each other? Reciprocity and conflicts in financial support in Sweden. International Journal of Social Welfare, 19, 84–94.
Faunce, W. A. (2003). Work, status, and self esteem: Theory of selective self investment. Lanham: University Press of America.
Fjellvang, T. (2011). Socialization values, cultural-religious zones and modernization theory. European Sociological Review, 27(2), 196–211.
Francesconi, M., & Golsch, K. (2005). The process of globalization and transitions to adulthood in Britain. In H.-P. Blossfeld, E. Klijzing, M. Mills, & K. Kurz (Eds.), Globalization, uncertainty and youth in society (pp. 249–276). London: Routledge.
Gallie, D., White, M., Cheng, Y., & Tomlinson, M. (1998). Restructuring the employment relationship. Oxford: Clarendon.
Graham, C., Soumya, C., & Mario, P. (2010). The Easterlin and other paradoxes: Why both sides of the debate may be correct. In E. Diener, J. F. Helliwell & D. Kahneman (Eds.), International Differences in Well-being (pp. 247–288). New York: Oxford University Press.
Grandley, A. A., & Cropanzano, R. (1999). The conservation of resources model applied to work-family conflict and strain. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54, 350–370.
Gray, M. (2010). Social development and the status Quo: Professionalization and third way co-optation. International Journal of Social Welfare, 19, 463–470.
Graziano, W. G., Bruce, J., Sheese, B. E., & Tobin, R. M. (2007). Attraction, personality, and prejudice: Liking none of the people most of the time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(4), 565–582.
Gronlund, A., & Oun, I. (2012). Rethinking work-family conflict: Dual-earner policies, role conflict and role expansion in Western Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 20(3), 170–195.
Grubb, W. N. (1996). Learning to work: The case for reintegrating job training and education. New York: Russell Sage.
Gulbrandsen, N., Hjermstad, J. M., & Wisloff, F. (2004). Interpretation of quality of life scores in multiple myeloma by comparison with a reference population and assessment of the clinical importance of score differences. European Journal of Haematology, 72, 172–180.
Hagan, J. (1988). Structural criminology. Cambridge: Polity.
Halbesleben, J. R. B., Harvey, J., & Bolino, M. C. (2009). Too engaged? A conservation of resources view of the relationship between work engagement and work performance with family. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(6), 1452–1465.
Halford, W. K., Markman, H. J., & Stanley, S. (2008). Strengthening couples’ relationships with education: Social policy and public health perspectives. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(3), 497–505.
Hammer, T. (2007). Labour market integration of unemployed youth from a life course perspective: The case of Norway. International Journal of Social Welfare, 16, 249–257.
Hanson, R. F., Sawyer, G. K., Begle, A. M., & Hubel, P. S. (2010). The impact of crime victimization on quality of life. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(2), 189–197.
Harter, J. K., & Arora, R. (2010). The impact of time spent working and job fit on well-being around the world. In E. Diener, J. F. Helliwell, & D. Kahneman (Eds.), International differences in well-being (pp. 398–435). New York: Oxford University Press.
Hobfoll, S. E., & Schumm, J. A. (2002). Conservation of resources theory: Application to public health promotion. In R. J. DiClemente, R. A. Crosby, & M. C. Kegler (Eds.), Emerging theories in health promotion practice and research strategies for improving public health (pp. 285–312). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Hobson, C. J., & Delunas, L. (2001). National norms and life-event frequencies for the revised social readjustment rating scale. International Journal of Stress Management, 8(4), 299–314.
Hsieh, C.-j., Hsia, Y.-l., Liu, S.-j., & Chang, C. (2005). Positive psychological measure: Constructing and evaluating the reliability and validity of a Chinese human scale applicable to professional nursing. Journal of Nursing Research, 13(3), 206–215.
Huang, C.-C., & Ku, Y.-W. (2011). Effectiveness of social welfare programme in eat Asia: A case study of Taiwan. Social Policy & Administration, 45(7), 733–751.
Hulse, K., & Stone, W. (2007). Social cohesion, social capital and social exclusion: A cross-cultural comparison. Policy Studies, 28(2), 109–126.
Hundley, G. (2001). Domestic division of labor and self/organizationally employed differences in job attitudes and earnings. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 22(2), 121–139.
Inglehart, R. (1990). Culture shift in advanced industrial society. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Kiecolt, K. J. (2003). Satisfaction with work and family life: No evidence of a cultural reversal. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65(1), 23–35.
Kirschenbaum, A., Oigenblick, L., & Goldberg, A. I. (2000). Well being, work environment and work accidents. Social Science and Medicine, 50(5), 631–639.
Klauer, K. C., & Musch, J. (2003). Affective priming: Finding and theories. In J. Musch & K. C. Klauer (Eds.), The psychology of evaluation: Affective processes in cognition and emotion (pp. 7–49). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
La Grange, A. (2011). Neigbourhood and class: A study of three neighbourhoods in Hong Kong. Urban Studies, 48(6), 1181–1200.
Lavis, J. N., & Stoddart, G. L. (2003). Social cohesion and health. In L. Osberg (Ed.), Economic implications of social cohesion (pp. 121–149). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Lee, S.-j., & Wu, C.-h. (2008). Comparing the level of positive tendency in a life satisfaction evaluation between Chinese and Western people. Social Indicators Research, 89, 147–153.
Lizardo, O. (2006). How cultural tastes shape personal networks. American Sociological Review, 71(5), 778–807.
Long, A. (2005). Happily even after? A study of job satisfaction in Australia. Economic Record, 81(255), 303–321.
Lu, J. F. R., & Hsiao, W. C. (2003). Does universal health insurance make health care unaffordable? Lessons from Taiwan. Health Affairs, 22(3), 77–88.
Mak, S., & Mueller, J. (2000). Job insecurity, coping resources and personality dispositions in occupational strain. Work & Stress, 14(4), 312–328.
Malcomson, J. M., Maw, J. W., & McCormick, B. (2003). General training by firms, apprentice contracts, and public policy. European Economic Review, 47, 197–227.
Mason, A. (2010). Integration, cohesion and national identity: Theoretical reflections on recent British policy. British Journal of Political Science, 40, 857–874.
Meiser, B., Butow, P., Schnieden, V., Gattas, M., Gaff, C., Harrop, K., Bankier, A., Young, M. A., & Tucker, K. (2000). Psychological adjustment of women at increased risk of developing heriditary breast cancer. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 5(4), 377–388.
Miller, H. T., & Fox, C. J. (2007). Postmodern public administration. Armonk: Sharpe.
Moen, P., & Orrange, R. M. (2002). Careers and lives: Socialization, structural lag, and gendered ambivalence. Advances in Life Course Research, 7, 231–260.
Muffels, R., & Fouarge, D. (2004). The role of European welfare states in explaining resources deprivation. Social Indicators Research, 68, 299–330.
Naswall, K., Sverke, M., & Hellgren, J. (2005). The moderating role of personality characteristics on the relationship between job insecurity and strain. Work & Stress, 19(1), 37–49.
Ng, S. H., Kam, P. K., & Pong, R. W. M. (2005). People living in ageing buildings: Their quality of life and sense of belonging. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 347–360.
O’Rand, A. M. (1996). The cumulative stratification of the life course. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (pp. 188–207). San Diego, CA: Academic.
Pasupathi, M., & Carstensen, L. L. (2003). Age and emotional experience during mutual reminiscing. Psychology and Aging, 18(3), 430–442.
Paugam, S., & Russell, H. (2000). The effects of employment ProClarity and unemployment on social isolation. In D. Gallie & S. Paugam (Eds.), Welfare regimes and the experience of unemployment in Europe (pp. 243–264). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, D. (2006). Quality of life: Concept, policy and practice. London: Routledge.
Plagnol, A., & Easterlin, R. A. (2008). Aspirations, attainments, and satisfaction: Life cycle differences between American women and men. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 601–619.
Poortinga, W. (2006). Social capital: An individual or collective resource for health? Social Science and Medicine, 62, 292–302.
Powdthavee, N. (2009). How important is rank to individual perception of economic standing? A within-community analysis. Journal of Economic Inequality, 7, 225–248.
Pratt, T. C., Holtfreter, K., & Reisig, M. D. (2010). Routine online activity and internet fraud targeting: Extending the generality of routine activity theory. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 47(3), 267–296.
Rettig, K. D., Leichtentritt, R. D., & Stanton, L. M. (1999). Understanding noncustodial fathers’ family and life satisfaction from resource theory perspective. Journal of Family Issues, 20(4), 507–538.
Richardson, G. E. (2002). The metatheory of resilience and resiliency. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(3), 307–321.
Sandler, I. (2001). Quality and ecology of adversity as common mechanisms of risk and resilience. American Journal of Community Psychology, 29(1), 19–61.
Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (2001). Getting older, getting better? Personal strivings and psychological maturity across the life span. Developmental Psychology, 37(4), 491–501.
Shteyn, M., Schumm, J. A., Vodoplanova, N., Hobfoll, S. E., & Lilly, R. (2003). The impact of the Russian transition on psychosocial resources and psychological distress. Journal of Community Psychology, 31(2), 113–129.
Sirovatka, T., & Mares, P. (2006). Poverty, social exclusion and social policy in the Czech Republic. Social Policy & Administration, 40(3), 288–303.
Solomon, L. D. (2006). From Athens to America: Virtues and the formulation of public policy. Lanham: Lexington.
Stewart, A. L., & Ware, J. E., Jr. (1993). Measuring functioning and well-being: The medical outcomes study approach. Durham: Duke University Press.
Sverke, M., Hellgren, J., & Naswall, K. (2002). No security: A meta-analysis and review of job insecurity and its consequences. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(3), 242–264.
Swanberg, J. E., & Simmons L. A. (2008). Quality jobs in the new millennium: Incorporating flexible work options as a strategy to assist working families. Social Service Review, 82(1), 119–147.
Tansey, J., & O’Riordan, T. (1999). Cultural theory and risk: A review. Health, Risk & Society, 1(1), 71–90.
Taylor-Gooby, P. (2004). New risks, new welfare. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tindall, D. B., & Wellman, B. (2001). Canada as social structure: Social network analysis and Canadian sociology. Canadian Journal of Sociology 26(3), 265–307.
Tornblom, K. Y., & Vermunt, R. (2007). Towards an integration of distributive justice, procedural justice, and social resource theories. Social Justice Research, 20, 312–335.
Tsai, M.-c. (2006). Sociable resources and close relationships: Intimate relatives and friends in Taiwan. Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, 23(1), 151–169.
Turner, N., Nik Chmiel, M., Sandy, H., & Walls, M. (2010). Life on the line: Job demands, perceived co-worker support for safety, and Hazardous work events. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 15(4), 482–493.
Van Beest, I., & Williams, K. D. (2006). When inclusion costs and ostracism pays, ostracism still hurts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(5), 918–928.
van Dijk, E. M., van Dulmen-den Broeder, E., Kaspers, G. J. L., van Dam, W. C. M., Braam, K. I., & Huisman, J. (2008). Psychosexual functioning of childhood cancer survivors. Psycho-Ontology, 17, 506–511.
Viry, G., Kaufmann, V., & Widmer, E. D. (2009). Social integration faced with commuting: More widespread and less dense support networks. In T. Ohnmacht, H. Maksim, & M. M. Bergman (Eds.), Mobilities and inequality (pp. 121–143). Farnham: Ashgate.
Volker, B., Flap. H., & Lindenberg, S. (2007). When are neighborhoods communities? Community in Dutch neighborhoods. European Sociological Review, 23(1), 99–114.
Wallenius, M. A. (2006). Personal project content and stress: Relations to subjective health and depressive mood. Social Indicators Research, 81, 35–50.
Wang, J.-H. (2001). Contesting flexibility: The restructuring of Taiwan’s labor reactions and spatial organization. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 25(2), 346–378.
Wearing, M. (2011). Strengthening youth citizenship and social inclusion practice: The Australian case: Towards rights based and inclusive practice in services for marginalized young people. Children & Youth Services Review, 33, 534–540.
Williams, K. D., & Govan, C. L. (2005). Reacting to ostracism: Relationes or reconciliation? In D. Abrams, M. A. Hogg, & J. M. Marque (Eds.), The social psychology of inclusion and exclusion (pp. 47–62). New York: Psychology Press.
Wright, E. O. (1997). Class counts: Comparative studies in class analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Yao, G., & Wu, C.-h. (2009). Similarities and differences among the Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong versions of the WHOQOL questionnaire. Social Indicators Research, 91, 79–98.
Zagorski, K. (1999). Egalitarianism, perception of conflicts, and support for transformation in Poland. In S. Svallfors & P. Taylor-Gooby (Eds.), The end of the welfare state? Responses to state retrenchment (pp. 190–217). London: Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cheung, Ck., Wang, Lr. & Chan, R.Kh. Differential Impacts of Stressors on Sense of Belonging. Soc Indic Res 113, 277–297 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0092-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0092-y