Social Network and Social Support at a Clubhouse Program

Background:  Recovery is an increasingly important concept in severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). In the context of SPMI, Clubhouses are self-help programs that foster recovery-oriented attitudes of their members (Herman, Onaga, Pernice-Duca, Oh, & Ferguson, 2005). To date, there is no study describing the manner in which Clubhouses do this. Two possible mechanisms include member affiliation to the Clubhouse and a willingness of members to offer emotional social support to other members.

Methods:  In this exploratory study, researchers tested these mechanisms by administering a pencil-and-paper social network and social support survey, a Clubhouse affiliation scale, and the Maryland Assessment of Recovery in People with Severe Mental Illness (MARS) (Drapalski, Medoff, Unick, Velligan, Dixon, & Bellack, 2012) to Clubhouse members (n=46).  This study explored a novel conceptualization of social support as the number of members' positive comments directed at other members.

Results:  Results indicated that member affiliation with the Clubhouse and the number of members’ positive comments directed at other members predict scores on the MARS (t=2.888, p=0.00617; t=2.288, p=0.02738, respectively) regardless of Clubhouse attendance, which did not predict MARS scores. 

Implications:  While this is an exploratory study, it supports the possibility that both member affiliation with the Clubhouse and a willingness of members to offer emotional social support to other members might contribute to recovery-oriented attitudes in people with SPMI.  The latter finding is consistent with the “helper therapy principle,” which proposes that giving—rather than receiving—help is an impetus for mental health improvement (Riessman, 1965). The conceptualization of emotional social support in this study as “positive comments” implies that common exchanges may have therapeutic value.