Perceived benefits and costs and members’ attendance in a mutual aid organisation for people with mild mental health problems

This paper reports two studies that assessed the bearing of perceived benefits and costs on members’ attendance in a mutual aid organisation for people with mild mental health problems. The bimotivational framework of costs and benefits was followed. Fifty-one members of a mutual aid organisation participated in the first study. It was found that members’ attendance in programmes (but not group meetings) was associated with perceived costs but not benefits of participation. The second study used open-ended questions to explore the reasons why members failed to attend programmes. The results provided additional support for the relevance of perceived costs such as inconvenience or other commitments. The findings were discussed in consideration of the mutual aid organisations as communal relationships. Implications for theory, research, and application are discussed. © 2002 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.