Yes, I will do it! Factors promoting the intention to volunteer after COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

Marta Gaboardi; Davide Naddeo; Anna Maria Meneghini; Michela Lenzi; Natale Canale; Sandro Stanzani; Massimo Santinello

doi:10.1002/ijop.13110

Yes, I will do it! Factors promoting the intention to volunteer after COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

Int J Psychol. 2024 Jan 20. doi: 10.1002/ijop.13110. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Marta Gaboardi¹, Davide Naddeo¹, Anna Maria Meneghini², Michela Lenzi¹, Natale Canale¹, Sandro Stanzani², Massimo Santinello¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
² Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

PMID: 38243755
DOI: 10.1002/ijop.13110

Abstract

This cross-sectional study assessed the extent to which the intention to volunteer after the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with resilience, post-traumatic growth, and community service self-efficacy in a representative Italian sample (N = 295; M_age = 44.77; SD = 14.79; range = 18-83 years; 53.22% men). The model tested through a path analysis revealed a positive association between community service self-efficacy and intention to continue volunteering. Multi-group comparisons revealed that this relationship was maintained in participants who were active volunteers, while in the group of former volunteers, only a positive association between post-traumatic growth and intention to volunteer was found. This study contributed to highlight the importance of community service self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth in the volunteering experience and the intention to continue volunteering in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19; Community service self-efficacy; Post-traumatic growth; Resilience; Volunteerism.