title: Dimensions and characteristics of lay helping.
abstract: A conceptual framework for research on lay helping strategies is presented, differentiating the strategies along two dimensions: their focus, individual or interpersonal, and their source, natural or supplemental. A typology of characteristics of commonly used lay helping methods is proposed, and implications for intervention design and research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence.
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Ayers
mesh_terms: D006266:Health Education; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D010379:Peer Group; D012648:Self Care; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support