Using the media to foster self-help groups.

Abstract

An alternative approach for delivering mental health services through the media is one which taps skills and resources other than those of experts-for example, those offered through selfhelp groups. This article describes a project that consisted of putting ongoing self-help groups on the radio for 7 kr a week. The first half hour each week involved an actual session of a self-help group; during the second half hour, calls from the audience were taken and answered by members of the group. Increases in referral calls to each group were found after the self-help groups went on the air. Process recordings of the shows were useful in documenting the communication patterns employed during the shows. Finally, a panel of mental health professionals judged that the programs did not provide unethical, harmful, or inaccurate information. The present project provided a demonstration of how researchers can work collaboratively with media and self-help groups in monitoring change in community-level types of interventions.The various media sources, including television, radio, newspapers, and journals, have important influences on the promotion of healthy as well as unhealthy life patterns.The media today captures an appreciable amount of people's time; the average American spends 4 hr a day watching television, 2% hr listening to the radio, 30 min reading newspapers, and 15 min reading magazines (White, 1981). Given the fact that the media reach practically all members of the community, some psychologists have begun extending mental health services through various media sources (Christensen, Miller, & Munoz, 1978). Talkback radio, for example, has been used to help distressed individuals solve problems (Monaghan, Shun Wah, Stewart, & Smith, 1978;Wolkon & Moriwaki, 1977). Mental health professionals have also used the media to increase a community's ability to cognitively restructure problem situations (Schanie

Using a community model in media-based health promotion interventions

“…For a number of years, the first author has been interested in the media and has explored ways to alter inappropriate advertising practices (Jason & Klich, 1982), to increase appropriate portrayals of behavioral research (Jason, Marinakis, & Martino, 1985), to decrease excessive television viewing practices (Jason, 1985a), and to promote the use of self-help groups (Jason, 1985b). It is beyond the scope of this paper to describe the above efforts, but suffice it to say these experiences acquainted the authors with the norms and practices within the print, radio, and television cultures.…”

Tobacco, Drug, and HIV Preventive Media Interventions

“…I was the host of the show for a 9-month period, each Sunday evening, from 7-8 p.m. Thirty different self-help groups appeared on the program. A panel of mental health professionals listened to the tapes, and they indicated that no incorrect, harmful, or unethical information was given to callers by the self-help members (Jason, 1985b). In terms of the advice or emotional support given to callers by self-help members, the mental health professionals perceived their communications as generally helpful.…”

Peer support telephone dyads for elderly women: The wrong intervention or the wrong research?

“…Heller et al conclude they might have conducted the "wrong intervention" in trying to foster friendships among the elderly and suggest that family relationships may be a more appropriate target for support interventions with this population. Another reasonable conclusion may be that community psychologists should avoid dyadic level interventions completely and stick with support interventions focused at group (e.g., Morin & Seidman, 1986), social systems (e.g., Felner, Ginter, & Primavera, 1982), or community levels of analysis (e.g., Jason, 1985). Unlike Heller, my feeling is that there are many potential benefits in designing dyadic level interventions to foster and enhance peer relationships (elderly samples included).…”