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| Guide to the Development of Mutual Aid Groups |
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Evidence of Mutual Support Group Effectiveness
It is not easy to capture the value of self-help groups through quantitative, empirical studies. But some researchers have partnered with self-help groups to find appropriate methods of evaluation. What follows summarizes the extant research.
Extensive evaluations using before-after measures, comparison groups, and time-series designs, have found that more intense and longer term participation in a wide variety of self-help/mutual-aid groups contributes to better outcomes. These outcomes include reduced psychiatric symptoms, reduced use of professional services, increased coping skills, increased life satisfaction, and shorter hospital stays. Members of health-related groups reported better adjustment, more effective coping skills, higher self- esteem, and improved acceptance of the illness than self-assessments of less active and nonmembers (Kyrouz, Humphreys and Loomis (2002) Kyrouz, Humphreys and Loomis (This article is in Adobe Acrobat. Acrobat Reader can be obtained, free, at Emotions Anonymous.) For specifics, see this study, the results of which are summarized in the next five paragraphs:
1. Patients DISCHARGED FROM A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL who participated in a Community Network Development (CND) Program required one-half as much re-hospitalization, ten months after discharge, as a comparable group of non-participating ex-patients. CND ex-patients also required one-third as many patient days of re-hospitalization (7 vs. 25 days) and a significantly smaller percentage of them needed to continue to attend Community Mental Health Centers and other mental health agencies for services (48% vs 74%).
2. VOLUNTEER LEADERS IN RECOVERY, INC., a self-help group for people who have been treated for mental health problems (half of whom had been hospitalized for mental illness) rate their overall satisfaction with life and health, as well as their satisfaction with work, leisure, and community as high, equivalent to the general public's levels of satisfaction.
3. CHILDREN OF PARENTS WITH DRINKING PROBLEMS who participated in Alateen, a self-help group sponsored by Al-Anon, suffered less emotional and social disturbance than peers who did not belong.
4. Participants in a national self-help group for parents of young drug and alcohol abusers -- (PRIDE - Parent Resources Institute for Drug Education) -- reported that their participation was associated with improvement in their children's DRUG PROBLEM. A majority of the participants also reported improvements in their children's general discipline problems and in adjustment outside the home.
5. Participating in a self-help group for FAMILIES OF PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS reduced the family's sense of burden. Members found the group helpful because it provided them with information about schizophrenia and coping strategies that professionals did not provide. Participation also helped parents to develop supportive social bonds with others who were experiencing similar problems.
Recent studies by reputable researchers have supported 12-STEP GROUP effectiveness (Project Match Research Group, 1997). A multi-state, rigorous research project funded by the NIAAA contrasted outcomes of three treatment conditions, one of which was 12-Step facilitation. The sole objective of 12- Step facilitation was to connect with and reinforce use of community AA. Findings showed that persons who received this treatment approach were as successful in reaching treatment goals as those who received the two other professional treatments. Another study found that individuals treated in a 12-Step-oriented program have higher levels of engagement with 12-Step programs and 64% lower utilization of professional mental health services than patients treated where there was little emphasis on 12-Step principles and involvement. (Humphreys, K. & Moos, R. (2001). Can encouraging substance abuse patients to participate in self-help group reduce demand for health care? A quasi-experimental study. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 25 [5] (May 2001), 711-716.)
The remainder of this article can be downloaded and/or read at the BHRM site.
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Go to Guide to the Development of Mutual Aid Groups
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About The Author:
Linda Kurtz, D.P.A., is the author of Self-help and Support Groups: A Handbook for Practitioners; Ernest Kurtz, Ph.D., authored Not God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous and is co-author of The Spirituality of Imperfection.
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