Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly challenging for individuals with concurrent mental health and addiction problems. Like other mutual aid groups, Dual Diagnosis Anonymous (DDA) of Oregon in the US and DDA-UK were forced to suspend face to face meetings during the pandemic. To continue to support its members, DDA began offering online meetings.
Objectives: this study explored attendees’ perceived effectiveness, strengths, and limitations of online support within the context of the pandemic. Methods: A total of 92 DDA members from the US (n = 71) and the UK (n = 18) completed an online survey, which included quantitative scales and open questions. Feelings of inclusion in online versus in-person meetings were assessed using an adaptation of the Work Group Inclusion Test (Chung et al., 2020). A supplementary interview was conducted with a DDA facilitator. The open survey questions and the interview were independently thematically analyzed by two investigators. Results: Attendance of meetings significantly increased after the introduction of online meetings (p < 0.001). Approximately half of the participants (51.09%) indicated that DDA online support was the most helpful form of support they received during lockdown; 98.77% of participants agreed that online support should continue after the lockdown. There was no significant difference regarding feelings of inclusion in online versus in-person meetings. Conclusions: Online meetings allowed DDA to go global and provided effective support to people with complex needs during the COVID-19 lockdown. Participants experienced a continuity of inclusion and accessibility due to the online provision. Implications: It is suggested that going forward, online support should continue alongside traditional face to face meetings due to its potential to increase convenience, accessibility, and inclusivity
