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Mutual Help Groups for Mental Health Problems: A Review of Effectiveness Studies

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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

This paper reviews empirical studies on whether participating in mutual help groups for people with mental health problems leads to improved psychological and social functioning. To be included, studies had to satisfy four sets of criteria, covering: (1) characteristics of the group, (2) target problems, (3) outcome measures, and (4) research design. The 12 studies meeting these criteria provide limited but promising evidence that mutual help groups benefit people with three types of problems: chronic mental illness, depression/anxiety, and bereavement. Seven studies reported positive changes for those attending support groups. The strongest findings come from two randomized trials showing that the outcomes of mutual help groups were equivalent to those of substantially more costly professional interventions. Five of the 12 studies found no differences in mental health outcomes between mutual help group members and non-members; no studies showed evidence of negative effects. There was no indication that mutual help groups were differentially effective for certain types of problems. The studies varied in terms of design quality and reporting of results. More high-quality outcome research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of mutual help groups across the spectrum of mental health problems.

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Acknowledgement

Keith Humphreys was supported by a Research Career Scientist award from the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Thanks to Kate Harvey for assisting with the literature searches and to Charlie Davidson for painstakingly refining their Boolean logic. John Cape gave encouragement and support and Steve Pilling provided valuable criticism. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the British Psychological Society 2004 Annual Conference.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Nancy Pistrang & Chris Barker

  2. Veterans Affairs and Stanford University Medical Centers, Stanford, CA, USA

    Keith Humphreys

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  1. Nancy Pistrang
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  2. Chris Barker
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  3. Keith Humphreys
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Correspondence to Nancy Pistrang.

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Pistrang, N., Barker, C. & Humphreys, K. Mutual Help Groups for Mental Health Problems: A Review of Effectiveness Studies. Am J Community Psychol 42, 110–121 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-008-9181-0

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