Understanding the Functions of Self-Help Groups from a Non-Western Perspective

Sesson I, Virtual Room 1: Health & Well-Being

The literature on self-help groups has two limitations: The majority of research has been done in Western Europe and North America; research has largely adopted a more individual-level, therapeutic approach. This article seeks to fill in the gap by taking an organizational approach and exploring the functions of self-help groups organized by parents who were bounded by the One Child Policy and lost their only child in China. The findings indicate that while these self-help groups provide inter-personal emotional support to their members, the same as suggested by the literature, they also serve as first responders and provide platforms for collective advocacy. The findings suggest that more research is needed to understand informal nonprofit organizations in non-Western or authoritarian contexts.