摘要：The effects of volunteering have been studied predominantly from the viewpoint of the volunteers and of society as a whole. We know that volunteering has a positive influence on several aspects of the well-being and health of volunteers (e.g., Poulin, 2014; Townsend et al., 2014), and that volunteering increases social capital and decreases public spending on welfare (e.g., Handy and Srinivasan, 2004; Putnam and Campbell, 2010; Salamon et al., 2011). However, there is surprisingly little knowledge available on the effects of volunteering on the recipients of such volunteering services. This absence is fundamental, as the whole phenomenon of volunteering, its motivation and definitions rest on the idea that it affects the people and the issues volunteers work for. This question is central also to diaconia as many churches extensively organize volunteering in their efforts to help those in need (e.g., Grönlund and Pessi, 2015). Understanding the effects of different working methods thus is key in evaluating whether or not they are successful. Our paper reports on a literature search for academic articles concerning the effects of volunteering using several databases (e.g., EBSCO, Google Scholar) and selected journals (e.g., NVSQ, Voluntas), based on a number of search criteria and keywords (e.g., volunteering/effects, volunteer/effects, peer support/effects, volunteering/ impact, volunteer/impacts, peer support/impact, volunteering/benefits). The searches produced hundreds of search results, but only 22 of them were actually focused on the recipients’ viewpoint. Most of the studies located stem from medicine, psychology, or nursing science. Our paper analyzes the results outlined in these 22 papers and presents the key effects of volunteering on the recipients identified therein. These are (1) volunteer or peer support increases sense for participation and decreases loneliness; (2) volunteering strengthens self-esteem and sense of agency. We also present the mechanisms driving these effects based on the literature identified. The results of our review show that one central influencing factor in volunteer services is the (voluntary) nature of the relationship between the volunteer and the recipient: Reciprocity, neutrality, and presence as the core of the relationship make receiving help and support from a volunteer distinctively different than that from professional help. Volunteering, therefore, can have a specific, and unique influence on certain psychological needs.
