Resource information
Forced displacement affects over 5 million people in Colombia. The process of mobility experienced by displaced implies the weakeningof the linkages with their relational environment and may involve the deprivation of the right to decide at socio-political level. The sense of community, the community engagement and the psychological empowerment display a strong potential to understand both the adaptationprocess in destination community, and the increase in community involvement. From a structural viewpoint, Social Network Analysis allowsto evaluate the social support networks of the displaced population. The aims of this study are: (a) assess the three community processes;(b) analyze the personal networks structure of the displaced population; and (c) identify the potential effects that personal networks mayexert on the development of community processes. Results suggest that structural properties of networks impact on the level of participationin community development activities. However, no significant relationships were identified between the structural measures and the othertwo community processes evaluated. Density contributes positively on community participation while centralization parameters affect in anegative way. We conclude discussing the applications of our results to design effective intervention strategies to promote the full integrationof displaced population in the host community.
