Sense of Belonging Instrument SOBI-P & SOBI-A

Abstract

The Sense of Belonging Instrument (SOBI) is a psychological scale designed to measure an individual’s subjective feeling of connection, acceptance, and inclusion within their social environments. Developed by Hagerty and Patusky in 1995, the instrument is divided into two distinct subscales: the SOBI-P, which assesses the current Psychological Sense of Belonging (often focusing on feelings of alienation or misfit), and the SOBI-A, which measures the perceived Antecedents to Sense of Belonging (the importance and desire for connection). The SOBI has proven valuable in clinical and academic settings, particularly in nursing and mental health research, for quantifying a fundamental human need that strongly correlates with overall well-being and psychological functioning.

Keywords

Sense of Belonging, SOBI-P, SOBI-A, Psychological sense of belonging, Alienation, Social support, Social inclusion, Misfit, Psychological measurement, Nursing research.

Authors

Bonnie M. Hagerty, Kathleen L. Patusky.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SOBI instrument is to provide a comprehensive, multidimensional, and quantifiable measure of the psychological sense of belonging. Prior to its development, measures of belonging were often embedded within broader scales of loneliness or social isolation. Hagerty and Patusky sought to create a dedicated instrument that operationalized belonging as a distinct construct crucial to human motivation and health.

The SOBI allows researchers and clinicians to differentiate between the active experience of belonging (SOBI-P) and the underlying psychological drive or perceived capacity for connection (SOBI-A). This distinction is vital for targeted interventions, particularly in understanding vulnerable populations where the desire for connection may be high, but the actual experience of belonging is low.

Construct

The SOBI measures the overarching construct of the Sense of Belonging, which is defined as the experience of personal involvement in a system or environment, where the individual feels accepted, valued, and included. This construct is recognized as a key component of psychological health.

• SOBI-P (Psychological Sense of Belonging): This subscale measures the immediate, subjective experience of fitting in. High scores on this subscale reflect a strong sense of inclusion, while low scores indicate profound feelings of alienation, being a misfit, or feeling like an outsider.
• SOBI-A (Antecedents to Sense of Belonging): This subscale assesses the underlying psychological components that predispose an individual toward achieving belongingness. These antecedents include the perceived importance of being valued, the history of being valued by others, and the self-efficacy related to establishing connections.

Validity

The SOBI has demonstrated robust evidence supporting its validity across numerous studies since its inception. Initial development involved rigorous item generation and refinement to ensure the scale accurately captures the complexity of belongingness.

Construct Validity: Studies have consistently shown that SOBI scores exhibit theoretically expected correlations with external measures. Specifically, higher scores on the SOBI-P correlate positively with measures of self-esteem, psychological well-being, and social support. Conversely, SOBI scores correlate negatively and significantly with indicators of psychological distress, depression, and loneliness, confirming the measure’s ability to capture the intended psychological construct.

Reliability

The reliability of the Sense of Belonging Instrument is generally reported as strong, indicating that the scale provides consistent and stable measurements of the construct.

• Internal Consistency: The SOBI-P subscale typically exhibits high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients frequently reported in the range of 0.85 to 0.92, suggesting that the 18 items cohesively measure a single dimension of psychological belonging. The SOBI-A subscale, while shorter, also demonstrates acceptable internal consistency.
• Test-Retest Reliability: Longitudinal studies using the SOBI have established acceptable temporal stability, confirming that the scale is reliable for measuring relatively stable individual differences in the sense of belonging over time.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses performed during the scale’s development and subsequent validation studies consistently support the theoretical two-factor structure of the SOBI.

The results of factor analysis confirm that the 27 items of the combined instrument load onto two distinct, yet correlated, factors: Factor 1 corresponding to the 18 items of the Psychological Sense of Belonging (SOBI-P), and Factor 2 corresponding to the 9 items of the Antecedents to Sense of Belonging (SOBI-A). This empirical evidence validates the authors’ conceptualization of belonging as comprising both the current emotional state of connection and the motivational elements driving that connection.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychometric scale

Format: The instrument uses a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1=Strongly Disagree to 4=Strongly Agree. Items on the SOBI-P are often phrased negatively and require reverse scoring.

Language Available: English (Original), with translations validated in several other languages including Japanese.

Population Group: General population, clinical populations, undergraduate students, and individuals undergoing treatment for psychological or physical health issues.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 16 years and older).

Population Details: The scale is particularly useful in populations where feelings of isolation, marginalization, or alienation are prevalent, such as hospitalized patients, university students transitioning to college life, or individuals managing chronic illness.

Test Methodology: The SOBI is typically administered in a paper-and-pencil or digital format, requiring approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Subscale scores are calculated by summing the responses, ensuring appropriate reverse-coding of negatively worded items on the SOBI-P.

Keywords

Social integration, Psychological well-being, Self-report inventory, Likert scale, Loneliness, Mental health assessment, Alienation.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in original publication materials.

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not publicly provided in the original publication.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence regarding the scale is typically directed via the University of Michigan School of Nursing (Bonnie M. Hagerty’s affiliation at the time of publication).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Sense of Belonging Instrument was first published and validated in 1995. While the instrument is widely utilized in non-commercial academic research, users should consult the primary author or their affiliated institution regarding specific permission requirements and potential fees for large-scale commercial use or adaptation. The foundational publication detailing the scale development can be found via ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/15335777.

Reference’s

• Hagerty, Bonnie M., Patusky, Kathleen L. (1995). Developing a Measure Of Sense of Belonging. Nursing Research, 44(1), 9-13.
• Hagerty, Bonnie M., Williams, Reg A., Coyne, C., Early, Margaret R. (1996). Sense of belonging and indicators of social and psychological functioning. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 10(4), 235-244.
• Hagerty, Bonnie M., Williams, Reg A., Hiroaki, Oe. (2002). Childhood Antecedents of Adult Sense of Belonging. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(7), 793–801.

Items of the Sense of Belonging Instrument SOBI-P & SOBI-A

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

SOBI-P

1. I often wonder if there is any place on earth where I really fit in.
2. I am just not sure if I fit in with my friends.
3. I would describe myself as a misfit in most social situations.
4. I generally feel that people accept me.
5. I feel like a piece of a jig-saw puzzle that doesn’t fit into the puzzle.
6. I would like to make a difference to people or things around me, but I don’t feel that what I have to offer is valued.
7. I feel like an outsider in most situations.
8. I am troubled by feeling like I have no place in this world.
9. I could disappear for days and it wouldn’t matter to my family.
10. In general, I don’t feel a part of the mainstream of society.
11. I feel like I observe life rather than participate in it.
12. If I died tomorrow, very few people would come to my funeral.
13. I feel like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
14. I don’t feel that there is any place where I really fit in this world.
15. I am uncomfortable that my background and experiences are so different from those who are usually around me.
16. I could not see or call my friends for days and it wouldn’t matter to them.
17. I feel left out of things.
18. I am not valued by or important to my friends.

SOBI-A

1. It is important to me that I am valued or accepted by others.
2. In the past, I have felt valued and important to others.
3. It is important to me that I fit somewhere in this world.
4. I have qualities that can be important to others.
5. I am working on fitting in better with those around me.
6. I want to be a part of things going on around me.
7. It is important to me that my thoughts and opinions are valued.
8. Generally, other people recognize my strengths and good points.
9. I can make myself fit in anywhere.