Feasibility of a peer mentoring programme for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions

Abstract

Including individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental illness: Challenges that must be addressed by health care reform OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health 35Self-perception profile for learning disabled students: Manual and questionnaires Gauging the effectiveness of youth mentoring

Supporting young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities to deliver a peer mentoring intervention: Evaluating fidelity and resources required

“…Further, preliminary evaluation of participants' response to intervention suggested potential for the intervention to support mental health. Additional details about the intervention, including feasibility data, are provided in Schwartz & Levin, 2021. Fidelity to intervention delivery is necessary to ensure the intervention is delivered as intended, which increases confidence that findings can be attributed to the intervention and to reduce type III errors. Monitoring and providing feedback on fidelity throughout a study can also support interventionists to deliver the intervention as designed.…”

“…This intervention was driven by cognitive behavioural (Meichenbaum, 1977), regulatory flexibility (Bonanno & Burton, 2013), and social learning theories (Bandura, 1989); accordingly, we incorporated metacognitive strategies (e.g., self-monitoring), problem solving, practice, and modelling through worksheets, self-reflection activities, videos, and experiential learning activities to support young adults to identify and utilise coping strategies. Additional details of the intervention are described in (Schwartz & Levin, 2021).…”

“…Using an inclusive research approach, we developed and conducted feasibility testing of a peer mentoring intervention to address identification and utilisation of coping strategies to reduce challenging mental health symptoms for young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health condition (Schwartz et al, 2020; Schwartz & Levin, 2021). In this peer mentoring intervention, a young adult with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health condition serves as the peer mentor.…”

“…Further, preliminary evaluation of participants' response to intervention suggested potential for the intervention to support mental health. Additional details about the intervention, including feasibility data, are provided in Schwartz & Levin, 2021.…”

“…Recent literature suggests that that fidelity measurement should involve documenting the extent to which mechanisms of action were enacted or operationalised (An et al, 2020; Toomey et al, 2020). Per these recommendations, we developed our fidelity evaluation to be aligned with the proposed mechanisms of action and intervention conceptual model (Schwartz & Levin, 2021; see ‘mentoring format and support’). We examined average fidelity across mentoring dyads and sessions and average fidelity for each individual dyad.…”