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TIED TOGETHER: BUILDING RELATIONAL WELL‐BEING AND REDUCING SOCIAL ISOLATION THROUGH PLACE‐BASED PARENT EDUCATION
Author(s) -
Bess Kimberly D.,
Doykos Bernadette
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.21609
Subject(s) - transformative learning , poverty , social isolation , narrative , isolation (microbiology) , identity (music) , qualitative research , public relations , sociology , social psychology , psychology , economic growth , political science , pedagogy , social science , linguistics , philosophy , physics , acoustics , microbiology and biotechnology , economics , psychotherapist , biology
Recent research has begun to shed light on the role community organizations can play in fostering relational well‐being, particularly among low‐income parents living high‐poverty neighborhoods. However, less well understood are the organizational, programmatic, and neighborhood factors that contribute to the formation of new social network connections among participants in these settings or the nature of connections developed. This qualitative study examines the efforts of one neighborhood‐based human service organization to counter the effects of social isolation through a place‐based parent education initiative. Findings from 69 interviews suggest that for participants the program served as transformative learning environment that challenged existing narratives about public housing residents and fostered the development of a positive shared identity as parents. Formal structures and informal opportunities in the neighborhood supported the development and maintenance of new social connections and served as the foundation for an ongoing community of practice among participants.