Self-Help and Mutual Aid Groups

International and Multicultural Perspectives

Here is new information on the development of international and intercultural research on self-help groups. This book reflects the many developments which have occurred in the field over the past decade, emphasizing empirical research. Self-Help and Mutual Aid Groups provides specific research findings and honed concepts to help health professionals learn more about self-help groups and work effectively with such groups. More countries and ethnic groups are now involved in the self-help movement, and this volume increases knowledge of how different cultures react to and participate in self-help mutual aid and how self-help groups can be adapted to fit different racial or ethnic populations.

Self-Help and Mutual Aid Groups explores the definition of self-help, the centrality of culture as a major factor explaining variability in self-help, the development of appropriate methodological tools, and the role and involvement of professionals. It brings together different traditions of research for the study of cross- and intercultural and inter- and intraorganizational aspects of self-help groups. Contributors who represent various disciplines, including psychology, sociology, social work, and nursing, discuss:

• a paradigm for research in self-help

• the development of self-help groups in Japan, Hong Kong, and the former East Germany

• the participation of blacks in Alcoholics Anonymous

• the participation of Mexican Americans in groups for parents of the mentally ill

• relationships between self-help groups and health professionals

• predictors of burnout in self-help group leaders

• characteristics of effective groups

• ways individuals change their world view through self-help participation

  Self-Help and Mutual Aid Groups is an informative and helpful resource for self-help researchers and teachers, students, and professionals who want to be more effective in their work with self-help groups across cultural and national lines.