Social groups may play an important role in alleviating depression, a latest research paper shows.
Forming a strong connection with different social groups helps clinically depressed people to get over the condition and also prevents relapse, researchers at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and University of Queensland, Australia, found.
For the study, the researchers conducted two studies of patients diagnosed with depression or anxiety. The participants were told to join either a community group that had activities such as sewing, yoga, sports and art, or get involved in group therapy at a psychiatric hospital.
The findings showed that respondents who took part in social activities had about 50 percent chances of continued depression a month later. The researchers found that in those who developed a stronger connection to the group and who came to see its members as 'us' rather than 'them,' less than a third still met the criteria for clinical depression after that time. Most of the participants in the group said the team members made them feel supported because everyone was "in it together."
"We were able to find clear evidence that joining groups, and coming to identify with them, can alleviate depression," Senior Fellow Alexander Haslam, a member of CIFAR's Social Interactions, Identity & Well-Being (SIIWB) program, said in a press release.
Past studies have shown that socialising helps depression patients greatly but Dr Haslam said it was important to focus on interpersonal relationships rather than on the importance of a sense of group identity. Furthermore, he said the study findings did not show why group therapy works. "Our work shows that the 'group' aspect of social interaction is critical," he said.
The study was published in the 'Journal of Affective Disorders.'
