Does volunteering benefit students’ happiness, social connectedness, and self-efficacy? an interaction with gender

Abstract

Background: Volunteering has been found to offer benefits for volunteers, but there is little research on how volunteering could benefit individuals’ happiness, social connectedness, and self-efficacy in the context of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was conducted among university students. Overall, 750 students completed the questionnaire, but a total number of 630 respondents (mean age = 29.15, SD = 9.92, around 75% women) had no missing data and were included in the study. They completed the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Social Connectedness Scale, and the New Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, as well as demographic and volunteering experience questions. Multiple regression and a moderation analysis were employed to study the relationships. Results: There was a positive relationship between volunteering and social connectedness, between duration of volunteering and social connectedness, and between duration of volunteering and happiness. The moderation analysis indicated that the relationships between volunteering and happiness and social connectedness were stronger in men than women, and the relationship between duration of volunteering and happiness was stronger in women than men. Conclusions: Volunteering appears to be related to students’ well-being, and raising awareness of this should be an agenda. The impact of gender should also be considered in volunteering programs.