UB participates in a study on the impact of activism and volunteering on citizens’ mental health
Salut Mental Catalunya and the First-Person Mental Health Research Group, linked to the University of Barcelona, have published the study Volunteering and activism in mental health: impacts on wellbeing and citizenship, based on research analysing how participation in mental health activism and volunteering influences the emotional wellbeing of those involved.
The study focuses on a key issue: the impact of activism and volunteering in mental health on the people who participate in these initiatives. In this regard, the research is based on two central questions: how activists and volunteers experience the relationship between their participation and their wellbeing, and which aspects of this participation promote or hinder it.
The study was conducted throughout 2025 using a mixed-methods design that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. Specifically, three focus groups involving 50 participants were carried out, together with an online questionnaire completed by more than 250 people, of whom 136 make up the analysed sample.
Recognising the transformative role of activism and volunteering
One of the main conclusions of the research is that participation in mental health activism and volunteering is largely associated with positive wellbeing experiences.
Participants describe activism as a space that fosters destigmatisation, a sense of belonging and community connection, empowerment, recognition and personal development, mutual support and reciprocal care, as well as the construction of meaning and purpose in life.
Many paths towards involvement begin with experiences of distress, rights violations or the need for support, which are transformed into collective action and social commitment.
This process shows that activism and volunteering not only contribute to social transformation, but also to people’s recovery, wellbeing and exercise of citizenship.
Wellbeing and connection with citizenship are particularly linked to factors such as perceived health, participation in associations, emotional support and community relationships.