DOI: 10.17631/rd-2024-0004-ddat
title: A social identity approach to social prescribing: developing a community prescribing toolkit to minimise disengagement by facilitating social identification

description: Social prescribing is a non-clinical health initiative that empowers a service-user to manage their psychosocial health needs by connecting them to local community resources, such as community groups. However, as an atheoretical intervention, there are concerns of disengagement during social prescribing. Applying a Social Identity Approach to social prescribing that recognises the importance of groups for our health and wellbeing could help minimise rates of disengagement within social prescribing. Thus, this research primarily aimed to apply the Social Identity Approach to Health to social prescribing and develop a toolkit that can support service-users to be connected to community groups they can socially identify with. 
 
Four studies supported the creation and development of the toolkit with the research collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. Study One was conducted between October 2020 and March 2021 and involved semi-structured interviews with ten Link Workers, seven group leaders, and five service-users exploring 1) the connection to a community group referral process to inform toolkit development and 2) the presence and participant understanding of possible group processes that could facilitate or prevent social identification during social prescriptions to community groups. Data was analysed using a multi-perspective, deductive and inductive, Reflexive Thematic Analysis. 
 
Study Two was conducted between April – June 2021 and aimed to collaboratively develop the Community Prescribing Toolkit for social prescribing stakeholder use. Five Link Workers from study one participated in an online focus group reviewing the toolkit, and three group leaders from study one in a qualitative online questionnaire. Data was analysed using an inductive approach to Reflexive Thematic Analysis.
 
Study Three was conducted between August and October 2021 and aimed to explore the possibility of conducting a feasibility trial of the Community Prescribing Toolkit. Seventy Link Workers participated in a quantitative and qualitative online questionnaire. Qualitative data was analysed using qualitative content analysis, quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Paired samples t-tests on three question sets. 
 
Study Four was conducted between March 2022 and February 2023 and aimed to 1) deepen understandings on why service-users may decline o disengage with recommended group activities, and 2) further explore the potential facilitators that may encourage service-user engagement with community groups. Semi-structured interviews with five service-users were conducted. Data was analysed using a phenomenological Reflexive Thematic Analysis. 
 
The main findings of this research indicate that a Social Identity Approach to Health theoretical understanding of social prescribing is both useful and relevant. Group processes such as prior social experiences, perceived readiness, fit, shared similarities, integration, and belonging are present throughout social prescribing and perceived to be important to its success. 
 
Anonymised Transcripts for Study One, Two, Three, and Four are available as Word documents, whilst anonymised quantitative data from Study Three is available as Excel documents. Data are accompanied by research materials including informed consent documentation, and interview, focus group, and questionnaire questions. This research was funded by the Centre for Behavioural Research Methods.