"It's the Social Aspect of Your Life That Makes You Well"-Acceptability of the GROUPS 4 HEALTH (G4H) Program for Participants With Chronic Disease

V Vanessa Wergin; Nathalia Costa; Linda Nguyen; Maryanne Long; Stephen Woodruffe; Adam Hulme; Crystal J La Rue; Catherine Haslam

doi:10.1177/10497323261417543

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"It's the Social Aspect of Your Life That Makes You Well"-Acceptability of the GROUPS 4 HEALTH (G4H) Program for Participants With Chronic Disease

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

"It's the Social Aspect of Your Life That Makes You Well"-Acceptability of the GROUPS 4 HEALTH (G4H) Program for Participants With Chronic Disease

V Vanessa Wergin, Nathalia Costa, Linda Nguyen, Maryanne Long, Stephen Woodruffe, Adam Hulme, Crystal J La Rue and Catherine Haslam

Qualitative Health Research, Vol.Advanced access

10-Feb-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323261417543

PMID: 41666279

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Abstract

social isolation

loneliness

chronic condition

social connectedness

social connection

Loneliness is a health concern for individuals with chronic disease. Unlike most loneliness interventions that connect people to existing groups, the Groups 4 Health (G4H) program builds individuals' skills to create and sustain meaningful connections. We examine the acceptability of G4H among individuals with chronic disease, focusing on factors facilitating and hindering program completion. Twenty-eight participants took part in either focus groups or individual interviews after completing G4H within a regional nursing and allied health service. Participants described trauma, life stage, and illness-related isolation as key motivators for joining. They valued the group connection, skilled facilitation, and structured, evidence-based content of the program, noting positive impacts on their social confidence. Barriers included social anxiety, content accessibility, and personal circumstances. Participants expressed a preference for self-referral and suggested extended session length and program duration. Findings support the acceptability of G4H in individuals with chronic conditions, while highlighting areas for improvement.

Details

Title: "It's the Social Aspect of Your Life That Makes You Well"-Acceptability of the GROUPS 4 HEALTH (G4H) Program for Participants With Chronic Disease
Authors: V Vanessa Wergin (Corresponding Author) - The University of Queensland
Nathalia Costa - The University of Queensland
Linda Nguyen - The University of Queensland
Maryanne Long - The University of Queensland
Stephen Woodruffe - The University of Queensland
Adam Hulme - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Crystal J La Rue - The University of Queensland
Catherine Haslam - The University of Queensland
Publication details: Qualitative Health Research, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc.
DOI: 10.1177/10497323261417543
ISSN: 1552-7557; 1049-7323
PMID: 41666279
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Grants: Using systems science to secure the health workforce against climate change, DE240100095, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Grant note: GROWTH is supported by The University of Queensland strategic funding initiative—Health Research Accelerator (2021–2028).
Organisation Unit: Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991208981102621
Output Type: Journal article

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