Social group memberships protect against future depression, alleviate depression symptoms and prevent depression relapse

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) Vol. 98; pp. 179 - 186
• Main Authors: Cruwys, Tegan, Dingle, Genevieve A., Haslam, Catherine, Haslam, S. Alexander, Jetten, Jolanda, Morton, Thomas A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2013; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Depression - prevention & control; Disease prevention; Female; Group dynamics; Health Problems; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Intervention; Loneliness; Male; Medical sciences; Membership; Memberships; Mental depression; Mental health; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Mood disorders; Prevention and actions; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Relapse; Risk; Secondary Prevention; Social capital; Social identity; Social Participation - psychology; Social psychology; Socioeconomic Status; Vulnerability; Loneliness; Depression; Social capital; Social identity; Mental health; Mood disorder; Human; Relapse; Social group; Authorized capital; Prevention; Symptomatology; Membership; Social medicine; Social aspect; Public health
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.09.013

A growing body of research suggests that a lack of social connectedness is strongly related to current depression and increases vulnerability to future depression. However, few studies speak to the potential benefits of fostering social connectedness among persons already depressed or to the protective properties of this for future depression trajectories. We suggest that this may be in part because connectedness tends to be understood in terms of (difficult to establish) ties to specific individuals rather than ties to social groups. The current study addresses these issues by using population data to demonstrate that the number of groups that a person belongs to is a strong predictor of subsequent depression (such that fewer groups predicts more depression), and that the unfolding benefits of social group memberships are stronger among individuals who are depressed than among those who are non-depressed. These analyses control for initial group memberships, initial depression, age, gender, socioeconomic status, subjective health status, relationship status and ethnicity, and were examined both proximally (across 2 years, N = 5055) and distally (across 4 years, N = 4087). Depressed respondents with no group memberships who joined one group reduced their risk of depression relapse by 24%; if they joined three groups their risk of relapse reduced by 63%. Together this evidence suggests that membership of social groups is both protective against developing depression and curative of existing depression. The implications of these results for public health and primary health interventions are discussed. •There has been little uptake of evidence that social support reduces depression.•We propose that research with depressed samples using concrete measures is needed.•Social group memberships predicted lower depression 2 years and 4 years later.•Among those depressed at baseline, groups were protective against relapse.•Joining and maintaining groups may be a viable, cost-effective intervention.