{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T17:08:29Z","timestamp":1784740109126,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":13,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000272","name":"National Institute for Health and Care Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NIHR200166"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NIHR200166"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000272","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Previous research has examined the experiences of voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) group providers, but the voices of group users, especially those recovering from, or living with SMI, are sparse. This study addresses that gap, using the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown as a natural experiment to gain insights into the experiences of individuals participating in VCSE-run creative and social groups, and comparing this with the experiences of providers. We conducted photo-elicitation focus groups to explore group members' perspectives. Lockdown highlighted to group members what they valued most, and therefore what they missed about attending groups. Participants reflected on how significant their group was to their experiences of social connectedness and belonging. Group members' experiences differed significantly from providers' experiences of delivering online groups during lockdown. In some cases lockdown exacerbated existing challenges for marginalized individuals, highlighting the critical importance of compassionate, skilled, and well-informed group leadership. The needs of marginalized populations and the risk that these may be overshadowed by other public health priorities were highlighted. Our findings underline the urgency of developing inclusive policies and practices that prioritize voices of marginalized groups. By listening to these voices, policymakers and group leaders can create fairer and more responsive support systems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1702170","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T13:25:27Z","timestamp":1769520327000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Creative social prescribing groups during lockdown: a photo-elicitation evaluation of group users' experiences"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Lindsey","family":"Bishop-Edwards","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Population Health, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield","place":["Sheffield, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Taylor Buck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Population Health, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield","place":["Sheffield, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jane","family":"Stockdale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Population Health, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield","place":["Sheffield, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Scott","family":"Weich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Population Health, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield","place":["Sheffield, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1186\/s40359-022-00775-y","article-title":"Community and cultural engagement for people with lived experience of mental health conditions: what are the barriers and enablers?","volume":"10","author":"Baxter","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Psychol."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1108\/MHSI-12-2014-0041","article-title":"Creative minds: developing supportive creative opportunities in our communities","volume":"19","author":"Walters","year":"2015","journal-title":"Mental Health Soc Inclus."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e51315","DOI":"10.2196\/51315","article-title":"Impact of digital inclusion initiative to facilitate access to mental health services: service user interview study","volume":"11","author":"Oliver","year":"2024","journal-title":"JMIR Mental Health."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1038\/s44277-024-00016-7","article-title":"Hybrid care in mental health: a framework for understanding care, research, and future opportunities","volume":"2","author":"Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"NPP\u2014Digit Psychiatry Neurosci."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1177\/1609406917748215","article-title":"Visual methodologies in qualitative research: autophotography and photo elicitation applied to mental health research","volume":"16","author":"Glaw","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Qualit Methods."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"487","DOI":"10.4324\/9781351032063-3328","article-title":"The photo-elicitation interview as a multimodal site for reflexivity","volume-title":"A Handbook of Visual Methods in Psychology: Using and Interpreting Images in Qualitative Research","author":"Fawns","year":"2020"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1080\/24694193.2016.1273977","article-title":"Auto-driven photo elicitation interviews in research with children: ethical and practical considerations","volume":"40","author":"Ford","year":"2017","journal-title":"Comprehens Child Adolesc Nurs."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1037\/13620-004","article-title":"Thematic analysis","volume-title":"APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol. 2. 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