Design: The design was descriptive and comparative. Data were collected prior to implementation of a community development intervention and served to guide components of the intervention.

Sample: The convenience sample included 160 adults and 108 youth living in three rural communities. Data were collected from 9/02-7/03.

Concepts: Community cohesion is the extent to which residents feel a sense of belonging and share the same values as others in the community. Community disorganization is the residents’ perceptions of community conditions including severity of problems and sense of safety.

Methods: Descriptive statistics were used. T-tests and rank order of responses allowed comparisons of adults and youth. A 12-item Community Cohesion Scale (alpha=.88 adults and .81 youth) and a 13-item Community Disorganization Scale (alpha=.89 adults and .93 youth) were used

Findings: There was no difference (p=.636) between youth and adults on cohesion with both groups expressing a moderate sense of belonging. There was a significant difference (p=.007) in disorganization with youth reporting more severe problems and higher sense of being unsafe. In rank order, adults reported drug dealing, inadequate recreation for youth and lack of supervised activities for youth as the most severe problems. For youth, the most severe problems were drug dealing, feeling unsafe, property damage, physical fights and gunshots.

Conclusions: These data demonstrate that youth and adults view cohesion similarly but see problems differently. Youth focus on personal implications of disorganization while adults focus on community structure when characterizing disorganization.

Implication: Nurses must get input from both adults and youth when planning comprehensive interventions aimed at community building.

Back to Building Community
Back to 15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004