The amplifying effect of perceived group politicization: Effects of group perceptions and identification on anxiety and coping self‐efficacy among members of UK COVID‐19 mutual aid groups

Abstract

Mutual aid groups developed and mobilized in communities across the UK and globally at the outset of the pandemic in order to support vulnerable community members with practical assistance and emotional support, with some understanding their work in political terms. This study adopted a “social cure” lens to investigate the effects of group identification and group perceptions on anxiety and coping self‐efficacy among members of UK Covid‐19 mutual aid groups. Survey data were collected from self‐identified members of these groups ( N = 844) during the initial period of “lockdown” restrictions in April – May 2020. Correlational analyses showed that identification with the mutual aid group was linked to more positive group perceptions and better self‐reported psychological outcomes. Perceived group politicization showed the reverse pattern. Mixed support for the “social cure” model was evident; the effect of group identification on coping self‐efficacy (but not anxiety) was serially mediated by perceived support and collective efficacy. Perceived group politicization was a significant moderator, seeming to amplify the indirect effect of group identification on coping self‐efficacy via perceived support. Results are discussed in light of previous empirical work on the social cure and Covid‐19 mutual aid groups. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement .

Rehearsing post‐Covid‐19 citizenship: Social representations of UK Covid‐19 mutual aid

“…Most social psychological research on UK Covid‐19 mutual aid groups to date has applied a social identity approach. Work here has emphasized the importance of group dynamics for sustaining participation in mutual aid groups (Fernandes‐Jesus et al, 2021 ) and has demonstrated the positive impacts that these groups had on the well‐being of their members during the pandemic (Bowe et al, 2021 ; Wakefield et al, 2021 ), with some studies suggesting that these effects were moderated by perceived group politicization ( O'Dwyer, Beascoechea‐Segui, & Souza, í 2021 , Mao et al, 2020 ). Social identity theory has proven a useful theoretical lens with which to explore the phenomenon of Covid‐19 mutual aid, however, this approach has tended to focus on the implications of identification with and participation in mutual aid groups, without exploring the ways in which people understood and enacted mutual aid.…”

Can group‐based strategies increase community resilience? Longitudinal predictors of sustained participation in Covid‐19 mutual aid and community support groups

“…Covid-19 mutual aid groups is largely based on qualitative (Cocking et al, 2023;Fernandes-Jesus et al, 2021;, cross-sectional (O'Dwyer et al, 2021), or relatively small-scale longitudinal (Wakefield et al, 2022)…”

“…Evidence suggests that collective participation predictors may operate via participation experience (Bowe et al, 2020; Canto & Vallejo‐Martín, 2021; O'Dwyer et al, 2021). For example, community identification and social support serially mediated the association between volunteering hours and well‐being in a sample of 529 community volunteers (Bowe et al, 2020).…”

“…Our knowledge relating to trajectories of participation in Covid‐19 mutual aid groups is largely based on qualitative (Cocking et al, 2023; Fernandes‐Jesus et al, 2021; Mao, Drury, et al, 2021), cross‐sectional (O'Dwyer et al, 2021), or relatively small‐scale longitudinal (Wakefield et al, 2022) studies. Crucially, none of these studies has looked at the role of group‐based strategies—what organizers actually do—over time.…”

The societal relevance of communities in theCOVID‐19 era

“…O'Dwyer, Beascoechea‐Seguí, and Silva Souza's (2022) study focused on the examination of mutual aid groups as relevant sources providing support to vulnerable community members. The study, conducted using a correlational design, employed the ‘social cure’ lens and evaluated the associations of mutual aid group identification and perception (like perceived group politicisation) with anxiety and coping self‐efficacy in COVID‐19 mutual aid group members in UK.…”