Helping characteristics of self-help and support groups: Their contribution to participants' subjective well-being

This article deals with outcomes of self-help and support groups, based on the relationships between the groups' helping characteristics (i.e., instilling hope, caring and concern) and two variables: participants' subjective well-being and general satisfaction with the group. It was hypothesized that the contribution of the helping characteristics to the participants 'subjective well-being would be mediated by the extent of their overall satisfaction with the group. The study also compared 12-step self-help groups to other support groups. The research sample consisted of 117 participants belonging to 11 groups meeting in Israel. The results supported the mediation hypothesis. Comparison of the 12-step groups and the other support groups revealed that 12-step group members were far more satisfied with the group and gave higher evaluations for most of the helping characteristics. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.