Factors affecting the birth and death of mutual‐help groups: The role of national affiliation, professional involvement, and member focal problem

Examined the predictive relationship of three variables to the birth and death of mutual-help groups for a statewide New Jersey sample of 3,152 groups over a 2-year period. The three variables studied were group affiliation with a national mutual-help organization, local professional involvement in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of community psychology 1989-10, Vol.17 (5), p.643-671
Main Authors: Maton, Kenneth I., Leventhal, Gerald S., Madara, Edward J., Julien, Mariesa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humans
Leadership
Life Change Events
New Jersey
Organizational Affiliation
Self-Help Groups
Social research
Support groups
Voluntary Health Agencies
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Summary:Examined the predictive relationship of three variables to the birth and death of mutual-help groups for a statewide New Jersey sample of 3,152 groups over a 2-year period. The three variables studied were group affiliation with a national mutual-help organization, local professional involvement in group activities, and group members' type of focal problem. Log-linear logit analysis revealed that the best-fitting model included Affiliation Status x Professional Involvement, and Affiliation Status x Focal Problem interactions. Among unaffiliated groups, professional involvement was related to lower group mortality, while among affiliated groups it was related to higher group mortality. Unaffiliated behavior control groups had higher odds for mortality and for birth than either unaffiliated life stress groups or unaffiliated medical groups. Among main effect findings, unaffiliated groups had consistently higher odds for birth than affiliated groups. The implications for research and action are discussed.
ISSN:0091-0562
1573-2770
DOI:10.1007/BF00922640