Social Support and Recovery: The Mediating Role of Sense of Mattering

Background

There is increasing attention by mental health systems to a recovery focus, not just symptom relief, of individuals with serious mental illness and to the variables, such as social support, that are associated with successful recovery. To expand our understanding of how social support and recovery are related, this study examines the construct of mattering to others, which is described as “the feeling that others depends on us, are interested in us and are concerned with our fate” (Rosenberg & McCullough, 1981). Mattering can be argued as a conceptually distinct construct from social support (Elliot, 2009) and thus adds to the understanding of recovery outcomes. We hypothesize that sense of mattering mediates the relationship between social support and recovery. This has not been previously examined in the context of mental health programs such as Clubhouses.

Methods

Interviews were conducted with mental health consumers in ten psychosocial rehabilitation Clubhouses in a mid-western state (n=119). The Sense of Mattering Scale (24 items) (Elliot, Kao, & Grant, 2004), and an adapted version of the Multidimensional Social Support Scale (MSPSS; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988) were utilized with the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS; Corrigan, Giffort, Rashid, Leary, & Okeke) serving as the criterion. Mediation analyses using Baron and Kenny’s (1986) causal-steps approach were conducted along with hierarchical regression analyses with social support as the exogenous variable, recovery as the criterion, and mattering as the mediator while controlling for gender, relationship status, and Clubhouse participation level.

Results

The effect of social support on recovery was significant, b  = .21, t (115) = 4.06, p < .001, and predictive of the hypothesized mediating variable, mattering, b = .40, t (115) = 7.70, p < .001. When controlling for social support, mattering was significantly predictive of recovery, b = .44, t (114) = 5.09, p < .001. The estimated direct effect of social support on recovery, when controlling for mattering, was b = .04, t (114) = .66, p = .51. Recovery was predicted well from social support and mattering, with R² = .35, F (5, 113) = 12.39, p < .001. By using the Sobel test, the indirect effect was 0.18. This was evaluated to be statistically significant, z = 4.25, p< .001. The effects of social support on recovery were fully mediated by mattering, with the direct path from social support to recovery becoming non-significant.

 Conclusion and Implications

This investigation expanded our understanding of how social support and mattering in social relationships influence recovery from serious mental illness. Although social support was significantly related to recovery, it is through the importance that others are invested in someone’s welfare, such as mattering. This furthers our understanding of how social support may influence recovery experiences in recovery based psychosocial programs, beyond what is known about the role of belonging and sense of community (Pernice-Duca & Onaga, 2009) and suggests that mental health programs should seek holistic approaches that provide opportunities for consumers to be feel valued and important across all aspects of their lives.