Steps to benefit from social prescription: a qualitative interview study

Area of Science:

• Social prescribing
• Qualitative research
• Health psychology

Background:

• Social prescribing is increasingly recommended for health and social issues.
• Its mechanisms of action remain under-explored.
• This study investigates the benefits of social prescribing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the beneficial pathways of social prescribing for individuals.
• To understand how socially prescribed activities (SPA) impact participants.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interview study with participants attending various SPA.
• Purposive sampling from a multi-activity social prescribing provider.
• Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, contextualized with literature.

Main Results:

• A five-theme journey of engagement and participation was identified.
• Themes include: professional support, social engagement, skill development, asset recognition, and future orientation.
• These themes represent a progression in personal and social development.

Conclusions:

• Socially prescribed activities (SPA) benefit individuals through a structured process.
• This process starts with professional support for social problems.
• It progresses to engagement, recognition of assets, and pursuit of future health goals.