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8 pages/≈2200 words
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5
Style:
APA
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
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Topic:
SUPPORT GROUPS
Essay Instructions:
*****REQUEST ERNIE TO WRITE PAPER******
(SAME WRITER FROM MY PREVIOS ORDER #16644)
Final Paper: You will write your final paper on your approved topic using , at minimum, the five sources you submitted in your annotated bibliography. The assignment's grading criteria may be found in the Grading Criteria section of this syllabus. You must adhere to the following guidelines when writing your paper:
o Must use version 6 of the APA style manual guidelines.
o This assignment will be 7-8 pages inclusive to include:
 Title Page
 Abstract
 Body of your paper must be 4 -5 pages. Points will be deducted for going over or under.
 Appropriate Subheadings
 At least one direct quote (the rest can be in a paraphrase format)
 References
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Running Head: SUPPORT GROUPS
Support Groups
[Student Name]
[Course Title]
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Abstract
The trend of using the help of support groups to deal with problems and illnesses has increased a lot in the past decade. This is due to the fact that these groups provide its members with emotional and social support that they need to deal with a problem. Studies have shown that support groups have a significant impact on the psychological well-being of its members and improve the quality of their life to some extent as well. This paper discusses the impact of different kinds of support groups on its member and the need to increase the number and quality of support groups. Different researches on support groups are used as evidence to prove the importance of support groups.
Support Groups
The importance of support groups is now being recognized by professionals all around the world as they play an important role in providing individuals with emotional help they need to survive. A support group is defined as “a group of people with common experiences and concerns who provide emotional and moral support for one another” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Support groups play an important role in helping its members overcome their problems. Usually, a support group consists of a number of individuals with similar problems or experiences. For instance, one support group may be for patients suffering from depression or cancer while another may focus on helping the families of these patients cope with their situation. In a support group, individuals share their experiences and information and sometimes even provide solutions to the problems. However, the main idea behind a support group is not help individuals with similar problems come together and develop a feeling of belongingness so they do not feel like they are alone. A support group may be self-help or a professionally operated one. Self-help support groups are fully managed by its members who all share the same problem or illness while a professionally operated support group is managed by a professional member who does not necessarily share the common problem of the group and it only present for management and guidance (Kurtz, 1997).
According to Dr. Dolcourt, “support groups have traditionally helped fill the void between the medical system and the daily grind of the everyday world. Support groups generally function to help patients cope, but clearly [they] do more than make patients feel good” (Dolcourt, 1992). Support groups don’t only help patients feel better, but they also play an important role in educating them and mentally preparing them for the future. Studies have shown that such groups play an important role in helping patients improve their situation and sometimes even encourage them to take a proper course of action when needed. A study was conducted to study the impact on internet-based support groups on depression in 2002. A total of 103 users of online support groups were selected for the study and were assessed for depression and social support at baseline six and twelve months using the CES-D Scale and Social Support Survey score respectively. The median age of the participants was noted to be 40 and 78.6% of all the participants were women. All the participants attended the online support group for at five hours in two weeks. It was found that heavy use of support group was directly proportional to resolution of depression (Houston, Cooper, & Ford, 2002).
It was also found that these patients discussed their problems with the group and used the advice given by the group to communicate better with their therapist. Moreover, it was found that up to 37.9% of the participants preferred online group support for depression instead of a face-to-face session. This highlights how important it is to form proper and better functioning online support groups as many individuals are not comfortable with face-to-face confrontations (Pierce, 2009).
Support groups do not only help individuals suffering from psychological disorder, but has also proven to be quite helpful in decreasing psychological symptoms in patients who are terminally ill. A study was conducted to study the impact of supportive-expressive group therapy on survival of metastatic breast cancer patients (Goodwin, Leszcz, & Ennis, 2001). A sample of 235 cancer patients was selected with the survival chance of three months. It was found that supportive-expressive group therapy had a significant impact on the psychological well-being of these women but did not prolong survival (Goodwin, Leszcz, & Ennis, 2001). It was found that the therapy helped distressed patients a great deal but did not have much impact on patients who were less distressed. However, this study is important as it helped terminally ill patients decrease their level of stress and in a way improved the quality of their remaining life.
Support groups also play an important role in the lives of the families and caregivers of these patients. Many a time people taking continuous care of patients need emotional support to su...
Support Groups
[Student Name]
[Course Title]
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Abstract
The trend of using the help of support groups to deal with problems and illnesses has increased a lot in the past decade. This is due to the fact that these groups provide its members with emotional and social support that they need to deal with a problem. Studies have shown that support groups have a significant impact on the psychological well-being of its members and improve the quality of their life to some extent as well. This paper discusses the impact of different kinds of support groups on its member and the need to increase the number and quality of support groups. Different researches on support groups are used as evidence to prove the importance of support groups.
Support Groups
The importance of support groups is now being recognized by professionals all around the world as they play an important role in providing individuals with emotional help they need to survive. A support group is defined as “a group of people with common experiences and concerns who provide emotional and moral support for one another” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Support groups play an important role in helping its members overcome their problems. Usually, a support group consists of a number of individuals with similar problems or experiences. For instance, one support group may be for patients suffering from depression or cancer while another may focus on helping the families of these patients cope with their situation. In a support group, individuals share their experiences and information and sometimes even provide solutions to the problems. However, the main idea behind a support group is not help individuals with similar problems come together and develop a feeling of belongingness so they do not feel like they are alone. A support group may be self-help or a professionally operated one. Self-help support groups are fully managed by its members who all share the same problem or illness while a professionally operated support group is managed by a professional member who does not necessarily share the common problem of the group and it only present for management and guidance (Kurtz, 1997).
According to Dr. Dolcourt, “support groups have traditionally helped fill the void between the medical system and the daily grind of the everyday world. Support groups generally function to help patients cope, but clearly [they] do more than make patients feel good” (Dolcourt, 1992). Support groups don’t only help patients feel better, but they also play an important role in educating them and mentally preparing them for the future. Studies have shown that such groups play an important role in helping patients improve their situation and sometimes even encourage them to take a proper course of action when needed. A study was conducted to study the impact on internet-based support groups on depression in 2002. A total of 103 users of online support groups were selected for the study and were assessed for depression and social support at baseline six and twelve months using the CES-D Scale and Social Support Survey score respectively. The median age of the participants was noted to be 40 and 78.6% of all the participants were women. All the participants attended the online support group for at five hours in two weeks. It was found that heavy use of support group was directly proportional to resolution of depression (Houston, Cooper, & Ford, 2002).
It was also found that these patients discussed their problems with the group and used the advice given by the group to communicate better with their therapist. Moreover, it was found that up to 37.9% of the participants preferred online group support for depression instead of a face-to-face session. This highlights how important it is to form proper and better functioning online support groups as many individuals are not comfortable with face-to-face confrontations (Pierce, 2009).
Support groups do not only help individuals suffering from psychological disorder, but has also proven to be quite helpful in decreasing psychological symptoms in patients who are terminally ill. A study was conducted to study the impact of supportive-expressive group therapy on survival of metastatic breast cancer patients (Goodwin, Leszcz, & Ennis, 2001). A sample of 235 cancer patients was selected with the survival chance of three months. It was found that supportive-expressive group therapy had a significant impact on the psychological well-being of these women but did not prolong survival (Goodwin, Leszcz, & Ennis, 2001). It was found that the therapy helped distressed patients a great deal but did not have much impact on patients who were less distressed. However, this study is important as it helped terminally ill patients decrease their level of stress and in a way improved the quality of their remaining life.
Support groups also play an important role in the lives of the families and caregivers of these patients. Many a time people taking continuous care of patients need emotional support to su...
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