Disentangling measures of individual perceptions of community social dynamics: Results of a community survey

This study examined how different measures of individual perceptions of com munity social dynamics relate to each other and how these measures relate t o self-reported general health and depressive symptoms. Results of a princi pal components analysis conducted to investigate the interrelationships bet ween these individual measures suggest that these measures measure separate phenomena. In addition, in results of multiple-regression analyses conduct ed to examine associations between the various measures of individual perce ptions of community social dynamics and the dependent variables of self-rep orted general health and depressive symptoms, sense of community, perceived neighborhood control, and neighborhood participation were all associated w ith the outcome variables in separate regression models. In a regression mo del with these three variables added to control variables, only sense of co mmunity was significantly, albeit modestly, associated with depressive symp toms and self-reported general health.