Youth’s sense of belonging and associated risk and promotive factors: An ecological systems network analysis

Introduction Belonging is a powerful predictor of positive outcomes in youth, including greater well-being. There remains a pressing need to integrate influences across layers of organization within youths’ developmental contexts to further understand how to enhance belonging amongst this demographic. Here, we investigate: (1) “How do risk and promotive factors converge in relation to belonging among youth?” and (2) “Do risk and promotive factors associate differently with belonging between boys and girls?”. Methods Responses from a community-based questionnaire were analyzed to establish ecological systems networks of the interrelationships between youths’ social connections, well-being, belonging, and sociodemographic factors (N girls = 477, N boys = 245; M age = 14.2, SD = 2.2 years). Results Our findings demonstrate the salience of ethnicity-based discrimination experiences in diminished mental health outcomes and lower belonging among boys. Additionally, we show the crucial link between emotional support from teachers and family with higher belonging for youth. Conclusions: We discuss the importance of gender-based considerations when targeting belonging promotion and well-being among children and adolescents.