Exploring the Relationship between Social Connectedness and Anxiety: A Study among Migrant Populations

Description

Page: 72-78

Poonam Vats, Bavneet K. Tandon, and Shagun Khanduri (Department of Psychology, Mata Sundri College for Women, University of Delhi, Delhi)

Across the world, in today’s current scenario adaptation in different socio-cultural contexts is inevitable as it plays a very significant role in shaping a country’s growth and global interconnectedness. Better education and good employment conditions has led the way to the path of migration. Like two sides to a coin, migration brings both opportunities and challenges- on one side, it contributes to their cultural diversity which leads to higher economic growth; on the other side, it raises concern towards social identity, connectedness and anxiety. The Social Identity Theory proposed by Tajfel and Turner in 1979 gives a nuanced perspective of the issues faced by migrants which often leads to identity conflicts. These conflicts arising from the human need for social belonging, and a lack of acceptance-whether within one’s country or abroad-can lead to anxiety, loneliness, and depression. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between social connectedness and anxiety among migrants, drawing attention to the way perceived social bonds impact psychological well-being. The tools used to collect the data were the Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) to measure levels of connectedness among individuals and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to determine anxiety symptoms. Pearson correlation was employed to examine the association between these variables and the findings highlight the crucial role of social connectedness in alleviating anxiety and strengthening mental health outcomes for migrants. This study implies the importance of community engagement, social support groups, government initiatives to provide platforms and inclusion strategies in various areas to promote belongingness, acceptance and foster social connectedness.