Outcome of a Randomized Study of a Mental Health Peer Education and Support Group in the VA

Abstract

This study adds to the evidence suggesting no short-term incremental benefit (or harm) from peer services beyond usual care.

Participant experiences in peer- and clinician-facilitated mental health recovery groups for veterans.

“…Third, the 12-week study timeframe may have been too short to capture changes likely to manifest over longer periods of time. The doseresponse effect found in the initial study (Eisen et al, 2012), which showed more improvement as attendance increased, supports this. Fourth, randomizing veterans to groups irrespective of their intrinsic motivation may have washed out between-groups effects.…”

“…Participants completed study-related assessment measures upon enrollment and at the end of the study period, 3 months later. As reported previously, there were no differences between groups with respect to traditional (physical and mental health status, depression and functioning, difficulty in interpersonal relationships, self-harm, emotional lability, psychotic symptoms, substance abuse, and overall mental health) or recovery-oriented (patient activation, hope, personal empowerment, social support, mental health recovery) mental health outcomes (Eisen et al, 2012). Further information about the measures used including reliability and validity were previously reported (Eisen et al, 2012).…”

Exploring the suitability and acceptability of peer support for older veterans

“…Four peer support models were identified, but none were specifically for older. One of the models, Shoulder to Shoulder, was based in the UK (Cronin, 2013), with the other three based in the United States of America (USA); Vet-to-Vet (Barber, Rosenheck, Armstrong and Resnick, 2008;Eisen et al, 2012;Goldberg and Resnick, 2010;Resnick, Armstrong, Sperrazza, Harkness, Resnick and Rosenheck, 2004;Resnick and Rosenheck, 2010), Buddy-to-Buddy (Greden, et al, 2010), and Veterans Administration (VA) Little Brother/Sister programme (Jain, McLean and Rosen, 2012). The interventions also focused on acute conditions, as opposed to enhancing wellbeing and reducing isolation, or focused on enablement by providing practical support.…”

Personal and Societal Benefits of Providing Peer Support: A Survey of Peer Support Specialists

“…Studies of the effects of peer support are increasing, but results are equivocal (3). Several studies suggest that when added to traditional services, peer support may be helpful in terms of engagement and empowerment (4-6); however, other studies have not demonstrated superior outcomes (7,8). In contrast, recent evidence of the effectiveness of structured peer-led interventions, such as Wellness Recovery Action Planning (9), Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (10), and others (11), has been encouraging.…”