Researcher ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2832-0745
Graduation Year
2023
Date of Submission
4-2023
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Psychology
Reader 1
Dr. Stacey Doan
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
Belonging is vital to our well-being, health, and identity. At the same time, belongingness is tied so closely to our identity, such that our specific identity may influence the extent to which we feel that we belong, as well as moderating the relationship between belonging and mental health. This present study investigates whether intersectionality, how and if a person is a minority, moderates the relationship between belonging and depression. College students were administered the Beck’s Depression Inventory II and the General Belongingness Scale. They also filled out demographic information to capture their identity and levels of intersectionality. Both belonging and intersectionality were, respectively, correlated with depression. However, intersectionality did not significantly moderate the relationships between belonging and depression. The results of the study still suggest that identity affects feelings of belonging and that it is associated with depression. The relationship between depression and belongingness appears invariant across groups. Therefore, institutions should implement community building activities to ensure all members have a higher sense of belonging.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Kalah, "At the Intersection of Identity: An Exploration of Sense of Belonging and Depression" (2023). CMC Senior Theses. 3293.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3293
