Assessing Place Attachment by Immigrant Status: Validation of a Short Measure for Multidisciplinary Research

Abstract

Place attachment (PA) is recognised for its influence on health and well-being. We validated a brief PA measure called the PA-4, which focuses on the individual's place of residence and surrounding neighbourhood. The study included 17,487 participants from a national survey conducted in Norway in 2021. The PA-4 comprises four indicators scored on a 0–10 scale. Emotional attachment was measured through indicators of belongingness and feeling safe, while cognitive evaluation was assessed through indicators of satisfaction with housing and satisfaction with the place of residence. The analysis examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and discriminant validity of the measure using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, comparing immigrants and native-born individuals. Convergent validity was assessed by examining the association between the PA-4 and a well-being scale through latent regression analysis. The PA-4 demonstrated good discriminant validity, as evidenced by a hypothesised difference in PA. The latent mean of the PA-4 was 0.65 (95% CI = 0.57–0.73, p < 001) lower for immigrants compared to natives. The regression analysis also supported convergent validity, as shown by PA-4's positive association with well-being. The PA-4 exhibited robust psychometric properties, indicating its suitability for use in multidisciplinary research.