To support and to be supported. A qualitative study of peer support centres in cancer care in Norway

Abstract

Objective: To explore what peer supporters, patients and their relatives want and gain from peer support in cancer care. Methods:Focus group interviews with peer supporters, and in-depth interviews with peer supporters, patients and relatives (N=38) and observations of daily activities in a Vardesenter ("Cairn Centre").Results: Peer supporters helped cancer patients and relatives with coping in and outside the hospital in several ways: (1) conveying hope and providing ways to cope in situations where despair would often be prevalent, thus protecting against unhealthy stress; (2) being someone who had had the same experiences of disease and treatment, and thus providing a framework for positive social comparisons; and (3) to be an important supplement to family and health care providers. To be working as a peer supporter was also found to be positive and important for the peer supporters themselves. Conclusion:The peer support program represented a valuable supplement to informal support from family and friends and healthcare providers, and gave the peer supporters a new role as "professionally unprofessional". Practice implications:Organised peer support represents a feasible intervention to promote coping for cancer survivors.

Patient ambassador support in newly diagnosed patients with acute leukemia during treatment: a feasibility study

“…First, PAs may benefit from their role as a peer supporter, and the role becomes a part of their own long-term psychological recovery. This has been confirmed in previous studies where peer supporters achieve a positive impact by putting their own disease trajectory and life experiences into perspective [14,19,21]. Second, PAs represent a selected group of peers who are psychologically robust, which is important as those who wish to participate are best suited for the role of peer supporter.…”

“…Peer support may benefit not only the person being supported but also the supporter [14,15]. Peers possess an understanding and a first-hand experience of the disease and its treatment, and may provide support to a peer who is at an earlier stage of treatment or recovery [16].…”

“…Comparisons with others in a similar situation to oneself can normalize the experience, provide positive role modeling, reduce the threat, and aid in coping with the new challenges [18]. In peer support programs, the peer supporter may also find comparisons helpful because they put their own disease trajectory and life experiences into perspective [14,19]. The evidence of the effect of peer support programs in patients with cancer is growing [20,21].…”

Peer support for people with advanced cancer: a systematically constructed scoping review of quantitative and qualitative evidence

“…Emotional support included conveying hope and ways of coping (25,29), reducing loneliness (27), and improving self-esteem (34). Peer support helps people communicate with partners and family members (29).…”

“…However one study comparing online and face to face groups concluded that face to face groups were better for exchanging information and caring for others (46). Socially, peer support was seen as providing a framework for social comparisons (25), where exchanging thoughts was easier with a peer (27), and with a need for mutual identification (36). Being a peer supporter was felt to be positive and important, giving people a sense of achievement (25,26).…”