Peer-delivered services for individuals with psychiatric conditions have proliferated over the past three decades. The values and principles underlying peer support have been explored, but we lack an understanding of its mechanisms of action. To shed light on the processes of peer support, we conducted a study with individuals who had received substantial individual peer support. We completed individual interviews, audiotaped, transcribed, and examined them using a thematic analysis approach. Our analyses suggest that individual peer support provided various practical, emotional, and social supports which were perceived as beneficial. Participants valued having someone to rely on, a friend, and someone to socialize with. We, however, found that individuals' expectations of peer support did not always comport with available services. Participants viewed peer support as especially valuable because of the opportunity for a non-treatment based, normalizing relationship. We conclude that peer support complements rather than supplants needed traditional mental health services.
Difficulties with ensuring the quality of the peer support in this study may be in part responsible for our failure to see more-definitive and -positive results. As the peer support specialist profession evolves, an understanding of its effective ingredients and mechanisms must be elucidated to allow for more-rigorous studies. (PsycINFO Database Record
To our knowledge, Asian Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE) is the first gender- and culture-specific and trauma-informed group psychotherapy intervention designed for Asian-American young women with histories of interpersonal violence and trauma and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. We employed a 2-arm randomized controlled trial. Sixty-three women who met clinical criteria for trauma were randomized to the intervention (n = 32) or waitlist control (n = 31) group. We documented retention rates, preliminary efficacy for sexual risk behaviors and depressive symptoms (overall and stratified by PTSD at baseline), and safety in terms of suicidality at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.
AWARE demonstrated high retention rates, in that 87.50% of those enrolled in the program completed at least 6 out of the 8 sessions. While there were no differences overall for sexual risk behaviors or depressive symptoms, among women with PTSD, significant reductions in depressive symptoms were observed in treatment compared to control, with an effect size of .84. Suicidal ideation and intent were reduced in both the treatment and control groups, with no attempts during the trial. AWARE is uniquely tailored to serve a pressing clinical need. These results support its feasibility and safety. A large-scale trial targeted at women with PTSD is recommended to further explore the efficacy of AWARE.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
Results suggest that employment as a PSS is a potent vehicle for improving recovery and quality of life. Results accrue to society in reduction of public benefits.
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