Fernandes-Jesus Maria, Mao Guanlan, Ntontis Evangelos, Cocking Chris, McTague Michael, Schwarz Anna, Semlyen Joanna, Drury John
School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.
School of Education, Language and Psychology, York St John University, York, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2021 Oct 20;12:716202. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.716202. eCollection 2021.
Mutual aid groups have been an indispensable part of the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have provided many forms of support, in particular grocery shopping which has enabled people to self-isolate if required. While community solidarity during emergencies and disasters is common, previous studies have shown that such solidarity behaviors tend to decline over time, even when needs remain high. In this study, we address how mutual aid groups can be sustained over time in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted 32 interviews with organizers of COVID-19 mutual aid and community support groups in the United Kingdom between September 2020 and January 2021. Based on a reflexive thematic analysis, we identified several community and group level experiences and strategies that were related to sustained participation in COVID-19 mutual aid groups. Meeting community needs over time with localized action and resources and building trust and community-based alliances were foundational elements in the COVID-19 mutual aid groups. Group processes strategies, such as a culture of care and support and regular group meetings, were used to help to sustain involvement. Some experiences resulting from participation in COVID-19 mutual aid groups were also related to sustained participation, including positive emotions (e.g., joy, pride), well-being and sense of efficacy, and an increasing sense of local community belonging and cohesion. Based on these findings, we propose four practical recommendations for sustaining mutual aid groups to assist public engagement with protective behaviors in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We recommend providing practical and financial support to COVID-19 mutual aid groups; to mobilize the knowledge and the experiences acquired by COVID-19 mutual aid groups for developing programs and interventions for addressing the medium and long-term impacts of COVID-19; to prioritize community-level interventions; and to recognize the role of group processes as these have the potential to lead to long-term community responses. These approaches will be key for ensuring that communities effectively recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
互助组织一直是公众应对新冠疫情不可或缺的一部分。它们提供了多种形式的支持，尤其是食品杂货采购服务，这使得人们在需要时能够进行自我隔离。虽然在紧急情况和灾难期间社区团结很常见，但先前的研究表明，即使需求仍然很高，这种团结行为往往会随着时间的推移而减少。在本研究中，我们探讨了在新冠疫情背景下，互助组织如何能够长期维持下去。我们在2020年9月至2021年1月期间，对英国新冠互助和社区支持组织的组织者进行了32次访谈。基于反思性主题分析，我们确定了一些与持续参与新冠互助组织相关的社区和团体层面的经验及策略。随着时间的推移，通过本地化行动和资源满足社区需求，以及建立信任和基于社区的联盟，是新冠互助组织的基础要素。团体过程策略，如关爱与支持的文化以及定期的团体会议，被用来帮助维持参与度。参与新冠互助组织所带来的一些体验也与持续参与有关，包括积极情绪（如喜悦、自豪）、幸福感和效能感，以及对当地社区归属感和凝聚力的增强。基于这些发现，我们提出了四项切实可行的建议，以维持互助组织，协助公众在新冠疫情及之后参与保护行为。我们建议为新冠互助组织提供实际和财政支持；调动新冠互助组织获得的知识和经验，以制定应对新冠疫情中长期影响的项目和干预措施；优先考虑社区层面的干预措施；并认识到团体过程的作用，因为这些有可能带来长期的社区应对。这些方法对于确保社区有效从新冠疫情中恢复至关重要。
