Title | Can group-based strategies increase community resilience? Longitudinal predictors of sustained participation in Covid-19 mutual aid and community support groups |
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Type | Journal article |
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Authors | Perach, R., Fernandes‐Jesus, M., Miranda, D., Mao, G., Ntontis, E., Cocking, C., McTague, M., Semlyen, J. and Drury, J. |
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Abstract | Mutual aid groups have been a critical part of the coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) response and continue to address the needs of people in their communities. To understand how mutual aid and similar community support groups can be sustained over time, we test the idea that using group-based strategies initiates psychological trajectories that shape future participation. We conducted a preregistered longitudinal survey among Covid-19 mutual aid and community support volunteers in the United Kingdom (nWave 1 = 600, May 2021; nWave 2 = 299, July–August 2021) who were registered panelists of an independent research organization. Assessments included measures of group-based strategies, collective participation predictors, participation experience, and sustained participation. Volunteers engaged in a wide range of support activities including shopping, emotional support provision, and deliveries. Two group-based strategies—group alliances and group horizontality—longitudinally predicted sustained participation. In addition, sense of community responsibility and burnout were longitudinal predictors of sustained participation. Importantly, predictors of sustained participation diverged for volunteers with different levels of volunteering experience. Our findings highlight group-based strategies as a potential resource for organizers seeking to sustain participation. Use can be tailored depending on the profiles of individual Covid-19 mutual aid volunteers. These findings have significance beyond Covid-19 as they are relevant to sustaining community resilience more generally. |
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Keywords | mutual aid |
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| Covid-19 |
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| community resilience |
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Journal | Journal of Applied Social Psychology |
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Journal citation | 53 (11), pp. 1059-1075 |
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ISSN | 0021-9029 |
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| 1559-1816 |
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Year | 2023 |
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Publisher | Wiley |
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Publisher's version | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
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Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12995 |
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Web address (URL) | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jasp.12995 |
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Publication dates |
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Published online | 15 Jun 2023 |
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Published in print | Nov 2023 |
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Funder | UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) |
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| ESRC (Economic & Social Research Council) |
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