Themes and Cohesiveness Observed in a Depressed Women's Support Group

Abstract

Basic themes in groups have been observed and documented. Cohesiveness is a group phenomenon that facilitates meaningful interaction among participants. Chronic low-level depression among women in this society has been documented. Support groups have been identified as a useful approach to promoting mental health and preventing illness. To help women cope with stress more effectively there is a need to gain an understanding of their concerns and problems and ways used to further this understanding of women in the middle years and the use of a support group to facilitate coping. A 10-week 90-minute-per-session support group was attended by nine women 40–60 years of age. The volunteers were assigned to experimental and control groups and were pre- and posttested with a battery of psychological tests. The group sessions with the nine women in the experimental group were taped. These tapes were analyzed independently by psychiatric nurse experts for evidence of themes and cohesiveness. Evidence of themes and cohesiveness were identified. The women in the control group were found to be significantly less depressed than those in the experimental group on the basis of pretesting. Despite the ceiling effect produced by the lesser degree of depression among the control group subjects a statistically significant decrease in depression among women in the support group was noted.