The group dynamics of COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an apparent increase in depression, anxiety, loneliness, and traumatic loss. The increased mortality rate, loss of economic security, systemic racism, and social distancing have had a profound effect on many people. Group therapy is an evidence-based treatment with significant research support for several of these issues, including depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, unemployment, and stress due to discrimination.

Many counseling centers, hospitals, and community mental health clinics provide group treatment, and research has shown that group treatment is as effective as individual treatment for a host of disorders. Despite the utility and effectiveness of group therapy, it is not a required course of study in graduate education for psychology. Clinicians who have little training, supervision, or experience in providing group treatment often lead groups.

Although there are similarities between individual treatment and group therapy, there are important differences that require preparation. Group intervention requires specific training in group dynamics and group treatment with an emphasis on understanding scapegoating, diversity, cohesion, and conflict. Group therapy also offers members a sense of belonging and social support that counteracts social isolation, discrimination, and the effects of quarantine.

An article in Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practiceopens in new window by Cheri L. Marmarosh, Donelson Forsyth, Gary M. Burlingame, and Bernhard Strauss highlights how group dynamics and group psychotherapy can aid in understanding people’s ability to cope during the pandemic. It also examines adherence to public health recommendations for social distancing and mask wearing. In addition, group dynamics research can help articulate the effects of social isolation and its mental health consequences, such as loneliness, depression, substance use, and anxiety. The article reviews how group therapy, and specifically online group therapy, can alleviate suffering during the current crisis.

Some key takeaways from the manuscript follow:

• Group dynamic theorists and researchers provide important contributions to the understanding of the prevention of COVID-19. Group dynamics can explain why some people perceive COVID-19 to be less of a threat or refuse to wear face masks or practice social distancing.
• Group psychotherapy researchers and practitioners describe the importance of group leadership, group cohesion, and the effects of loneliness and social isolation on people coping with COVID-19.
• Given the mental and physical health challenges presented by COVID-19, online group and group therapy interventions are becoming more prevalent. Future studies examining the effectiveness of online groups for both support and therapy are needed. Also necessary are studies that examine which individual difference variables influence the effectiveness of online group interventions, such as age, race, class, ethnicity, culture, attachment style, and level of isolation.
• One of the main implications of this manuscript is that it is critical to examine the group-level factors that influence how society navigates a pandemic. Groups influence the transmission of COVID-19 may be prevented, how people sustain themselves during periods of social isolation, and how to address the effects of complicated bereavement, trauma, illness, social inequities, unemployment, anxiety, and depression.

Note: This article is in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area. View more articles in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area.

Marmarosh, C. L., Forsyth, D. R., Strauss, B., & Burlingame, G. M. (2020). The psychology of the COVID-19 pandemic: A group-level perspective. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 24(3), 122–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000142opens in new window

Dr. Cheri L. Marmarosh is a professor of professional psychology at the George Washington University. She is also the current president of Division 49, the division of APA devoted to group theory, research, and practice. Her scholarly work is focused on factors that promote effective individual and group psychotherapy. She has contributed to over 50 peer reviewed articles, three books, and chapters devoted to group and individual treatment. She is a fellow of APA and The American Group Psychotherapy Association.

Dr. Donelson Forsyth is a professor and the Colonel Leo K. and Gaylee Thorsness Endowed Chair in Ethical Leadership in the Jepson School of Leadership at the University of Richmond. A social and personality psychologist, Forsyth studies groups, leadership, ethical thought, and moral judgment. He has authored over 150 books, chapters, and articles on ethics, groups, and related topics, and his work has appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Psychologist, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. He has received career awards recognizing his contributions from national and international associations.

Dr. Gary M. Burlingame is a professor and chair of psychology department at Brigham Young University and is affiliated with clinical psychology doctoral program. His scholarly work is focused on factors that lead to effective small group treatments for mental/medical illness and measurement. He has contributed over 75 books, technical manuals and chapters and 150 peer reviewed articles with career awards recognizing his contributions from national and international professional associations.

Dr. Bernhard Strauss is a professor and head of the Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, University Hospital Jena, Germany. He has written extensively in the area of group psychotherapy and treatment effectiveness. He has received numerous professional awards for his work and contributions to the field.