Premium
Serving in College, Flourishing in Adulthood: Does Community Engagement During the College Years Predict Adult Well‐Being?
Author(s) -
Bowman Nicholas,
Brandenberger Jay,
Lapsley Daniel,
Hill Patrick,
Quaranto Jessica
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
applied psychology: health and well‐being
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.276
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1758-0854
pISSN - 1758-0846
DOI - 10.1111/j.1758-0854.2009.01020.x
Subject(s) - flourishing , graduation (instrument) , prosocial behavior , psychology , service learning , life satisfaction , well being , community service , personal development , social psychology , developmental psychology , medical education , pedagogy , public relations , medicine , political science , geometry , mathematics , psychotherapist
Colleges and universities are placing a renewed emphasis on the importance of service and community engagement. Although the short‐term effects of these college experiences are fairly well understood, little is known about the long‐term impact of college volunteering and participating in engaged forms of learning (e.g. service‐learning). This longitudinal study examines 416 participants during their freshman year of college, their senior year, and 13 years after graduation. Results show that both college volunteering and service‐learning have positive, indirect effects on several forms of well‐being during adulthood, including personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, and life satisfaction. Specifically, these college experiences are associated with subsequent behaviors (adult volunteering) and attitudes and values (prosocial orientation), which in turn are positively associated with well‐being. Implications for research and practice are discussed.