Mass meets mosh: Exploring healthcare professionals' perspectives on social identity processes and health risks at a religious pilgrimage and music festivals.

Abstract

The field of mass gathering medicine has tended to focus on physical factors in the aggravation and mitigation of health risks in mass gatherings to the neglect of psychosocial factors. This study sought to explore perspectives of healthcare professionals (HCPs) on (1) implications of social identity processes for mass gathering-associated health risks; and (2) how social identity processes can be drawn on to inform and improve healthcare practices and interventions targeted at mitigating health risks in mass gatherings. Semi-structured interviews, complemented by a brief survey, were conducted with 17 HCPs in the United Kingdom operating at a religious pilgrimage and music festivals. The findings from a thematic analysis suggest that HCPs recognise that social identity processes involved in identity enactment in mass gatherings are implicated in health risks. HCPs also perceive value in drawing on social identity processes to inform and improve healthcare practices and interventions in mass gatherings. The findings from the survey corroborate the findings from the interviews. Taken together, the research highlights avenues for future research and collaboration aimed at developing healthcare practices and interventions informed by the social identity approach for the management of health risks in mass gatherings.