ABSTRACT USING THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF FUNCTIONING, DISABILITY AND HEALTH (ICF) MODEL IN PREDICTION OF SENSE OF COMMUNITY FOR PERSONS WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIESByBoyang TongPromoting sense of community (SOC) is beneficial in facilitating persons with psychiatric disabilities to achieve community integration and recovery. However, SOC is still largely understudied in the field of rehabilitation counseling. It is shown that SOC is a multidimensional construct involving interactive process, which is the product of the person, the environment, and the interactions among them. Therefore, a holistic and interactive model is necessary in order to understand the biopsychosocial predictors of SOC from a comprehensive perspective. This study used the World Health Organization’s International Classification Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) model as a conceptual framework to examine the complex relationships among health conditions and functioning, activity, personal and environmental factors, in affecting SOC outcomes. By applying the ICF model, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the proposed model of SOC for persons with psychiatric disabilities. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to understand the overall model of SOC, as well as the unique contribution of each ICF construct and its interaction effects among the ICF constructs. Results of the study suggest that demographic variables (i.e., diagnosis, treatment related support, and SSA beneficiary status), functioning variables (i.e., symptom severity and cognitive functioning), activity variable (i.e., social functioning), personal variables (i.e., resilience and self-efficacy), and environmental variables (stigma and social support) account for over 57% of the variance in SOC in this study. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of SOC and contributes new information by presenting the theoretical guidance and research evidence of proposing and evaluating the effectiveness of the ICF-based model of SOC for psychiatric populations. Future research direction is guided to expand the current model of SOC by exploring more influential disability-related as well as psychosocial factors of SOC. This study also inform rehabilitation professionals on how to provide effective and efficient rehabilitation services for promoting the community experiences of persons with psychiatric disabilities, such as treatment adherence, anxiety management, self-efficacy promotion, stigma reduction, and social support provision.
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