section_path: Key concepts/Sense of community
section_name: Sense of community
paragraph_text: Sense of community
  
  In a seminal 1986 study, McMillan and Chavis identify four elements of "sense of community":
  
  A "sense of community index" (SCI) was developed by Chavis and colleagues, and revised and adapted by others. Although originally designed to assess sense of community in neighborhoods, the index has been adapted for use in schools, the workplace, and a variety of types of communities.
  
  Studies conducted by the APPA indicate that young adults who feel a sense of belonging in a community, particularly small communities, develop fewer psychiatric and depressive disorders than those who do not have the feeling of love and belonging.