Alex Byron Barker
Recovery is no laughing matter – or is it?
Barker, Alex Byron; Winship, Gary
Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe an exploratory pilot study to assess the methods used to evaluate an innovative programme of comedy workshops for a small cohort of people recovering from substance misuse problems. The comedy workshops involved participants working with a professional comedian-to explore, develop, write and finally perform a stand-up comedy routine drawing from their own personal experiences. Design/methodology/approach - The impact of the programme was gauged using questionnaires; the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the General Self-Efficacy, Scale and the Life Orientation Test-Revised and Eco-Mapping Tool.
Findings - Ten participants began the programme with four participants following through to public performance at an evening showcase event. The quantitative measures showed favourable results on three positive outcome measures; psychological well-being, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Participant's number of social relationships and strength of relationships decreased following the intervention, however, relationships were more mutual and were characterized by less conflict following the workshop.
Research limitations/implications - The small sample limits generalization of this study, but the methods for data collection were found to be feasible. Preliminary findings suggest that the workshops have a positive impact on recovery.
Originality/value - This paper describes an evaluation of an innovative programme of comedy workshops for people recovering from substance abuse problems. The preliminary findings point to a new hypothesis about recovery, that successful recovery might be characterized by a smaller social network, with stronger mutual bonds.
Citation
Barker, A. B., & Winship, G. (2016). Recovery is no laughing matter – or is it?. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 20(3), 167-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-02-2016-0006
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Jun 1, 2016 |
Publication Date | Aug 8, 2016 |
Deposit Date | Oct 21, 2016 |
Publicly Available Date | Mar 29, 2024 |
Journal | Mental Health and Social Inclusion |
Print ISSN | 2042-8308 |
Electronic ISSN | 2042-8316 |
Publisher | Emerald |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 20 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 167-173 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-02-2016-0006 |
Keywords | Social Identity, Intervention, Comedy, Psychological Well-being, Self-confidence |
Public URL | https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/979732 |
Publisher URL | http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/MHSI-02-2016-0006 |
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