Building Wellbeing Through Local Communities: A Mixed Methods Study Using Psychophysiology, Structural Equation Modelling and Ripple Effects Mapping

Local communities offer many opportunities for building wellbeing. Here we report on the impact of Local Area Coordination (LAC) – a positive, person-centred, and community-based approach – on wellbeing using a rigorous mixed-methods design including data from psychophysiological synchrony, a quantitative survey, and qualitative ripple effects mapping. Interactions between coordinators and community members were associated with in-phase cardiac synchrony, suggesting that the coordinators use emotional co-regulation to facilitate autonomic safety and thus build community members’ capacity for self-regulation. Survey data analysed using SEM PLS modelling found that the quality of the coordinator-community member relationship significantly predicted community integration, which in turn, predicted wellbeing. Qualitative feedback further indicated that LAC’s personalised approach to build rapport with coordinators was a key mechanism underpinning its success. Overall, findings support the application of LAC to promote overall wellbeing, providing a much-needed and evidence-based opportunity to reduce the burden on statutory services.