Title: Health in Groups: A Longitudinal and Cross-National Study
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: According to social psychological theory, in many social situations a person may define and understand him or herself as a member of a social group (e.g., a sport team, a political party, a family group). Group membership implies different degrees of identification with the group (i.e., psychological investment in the group and perception of the group as selfdefining). The general aim of the present project is to test the hypothesis that high group identification has positive consequences for both mental and physical health. In particular, the present research proposes that when a person develops a strong sense of identification with a social group, he or she will have an enhanced sense that the other group members will offer support in difficult times. In turn, these perceptions will buffer stress and improve well-being and health. This research will also compare the effects of group identification on health with the effects exerted by health behaviour (e.g. cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical exercise, diet, etc.). This study is based on a longitudinal panel design, and will involve 4,000 participants as a whole, 2000 from each of two sub-samples. A sub-sample will be recruited from the population of people referring to two specific medical practices in Scotland (one in Edinburgh and one in Kinross). This population is heterogeneous and spans all age-groups and socioeconomic classes. Another sub-sample will be drawn from a medical practice in Tuscany (Italy). This population is also heterogeneous, and constitutes a reasonable match of the Scottish group in terms of socio-economic background. Participants will complete a questionnaire at two different points in time, with approximately 2 years gap between test1 and test2. This questionnaire will include a measure of identification with the family group, and a measure of identification with the local community. These two groups are selected because they are very important agencies of socialisation and culture transmission, constitute typical contexts of solidarity, are important basis for self-definition and understanding, and have strong consequences for the health of their members. A measure of identification with two further referent groups selected by the participant (e.g., professional group, leisure group) will also be included. The measure used for each group taps into five different dimensions: (i) solidarity and commitment with the ingroup, (ii) satisfaction with group membership, (iii) centrality and importance of the group for the self, (iv) individual self-stereotyping, and (v) perceived ingroup homogeneity. The questionnaire will also include a set of measures of well-being and mental health (e.g., satisfaction with life, depression inventory). Finally, the questionnaire will assess the respondents' health behaviour (e.g., cigarette smoking , alcohol consumption, physical exercise). In addition, objective indicators of general health in the 6 months preceding the questionnaire completion will be extracted from individual GP records. We will focus on seven specific indicators: (i) total number of GP appointments, (ii) total number of medications prescribed, (iii) total number of analgesic medications prescribed and number of prescriptions for these, (iv) total number of antidepressant or other other psychotropic drug prescribed and number of prescriptions for these, (v) blood total cholesterol, (vi) blood pressure, and (vii) Body Mass Index (BMI). Over the last decades, scholars from the whole social science spectrum have lamented the deleterious effects of exaggerated self-importance and disintegration of communities and social networks, on people's wellbeing and health. This research has the potential to provide new important evidence that group investment and a collectivistic ethos produce better well-being and health outcomes than atomization and extreme individualism.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE