Abstract
Small groups are used to promote health, well-being, and personal change by altering members' perceptions, beliefs, expectations, and behaviour patterns. An extensive cross-disciplinary literature has articulated and tested theories explaining how such groups develop, function, and facilitate change. Yet these theoretical understandings are rarely applied in the development, description, and evaluation of health-promotion, group-based, behaviour-change interventions. Medline database, library catalogues, search engines, specific journals and reference lists were searched for relevant texts. Texts were reviewed for explanatory concepts or theories describing change processes in groups, which were integrated into the developing conceptual structure. This was designed to be a parsimonious conceptual framework that could be applied to design and delivery. Five categories of interacting processes and concepts were identified and defined: (1) group development processes, (2) dynamic group processes, (3) social change processes, (4) personal change processes, and (5) group design and operating parameters. Each of these categories encompasses a variety of theorised mechanisms explaining individual change in small groups. The final conceptual model, together with the design issues and practical recommendations derived from it, provides a practical basis for linking research and theory explaining group functioning to optimal design of group-based, behaviour-change interventions.
Highlights
Small groups have been used to promote personal change and improve health throughout the twentieth century
In our approach we draw from a core set of texts describing explanatory concepts and models that could guide the design of group-based behaviour-change interventions (GB-BCIs)
We used generic search terms (e.g. “group dynamics”) and more specific searches for key concepts and processes that we identified in the core texts (e.g. “group development”, “group norms”)
Summary
Small groups have been used to promote personal change and improve health throughout the twentieth century. As early as 1905, Joseph Pratt highlighted the importance of group identification (or group “spirit”), social support, and shared These diverse applications have generated a wide-ranging, decades-old, research literature explaining how small groups work and how they can be used to promote individual change (Horne & Rosenthal, 1997). An extensive cross-disciplinary literature has articulated and tested theories explaining how such groups develop, function, and facilitate change These theoretical understandings are rarely applied in the development, description, and evaluation of health-promotion, group-based, behaviour-change interventions. Results: Five categories of interacting processes and concepts were identified and defined: (1) group development processes, (2) dynamic group processes, (3) social change processes, (4) personal change processes, and (5) group design and operating parameters Each of these categories encompasses a variety of theorised mechanisms explaining individual change in small groups. Conclusion: The final conceptual model, together with the design issues and practical recommendations derived from it, provides a practical basis for linking research and theory explaining group functioning to optimal design of group-based, behaviour-change interventions
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