Peer mentoring of adults with spinal cord injury: a transformational leadership perspective

Abstract

Displays of transformational leadership by peer mentors (i.e. transformational mentoring) were reported by mentees to be associated with a range of adaptive psychological and behavioural outcomes. The results have the potential to inform the development and dissemination of peer mentor-based interventions and initiatives. Implications for Rehabilitation Within the context of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation, positive peer mentorship is reflected in mentors' use of transformational leadership behaviours (idealised influence, inspirational motivation, individualised consideration and intellectual stimulation). When SCI peer mentors use transformational leadership behaviours, mentees report a redefined sense of their limitations, and increased self-confidence, hope, motivation, acceptance, participation and overall well-being. The results of this study have the potential to inform future longitudinal and experimental research concerning the (causal) effects of peer mentoring on mentee outcomes. In particular, research should examine the effects of peer-mentorship training, informed by the tenets of transformational leadership theory, in relation to the mentee outcomes assessed in this qualitative study.

It is a marathon rather than a sprint: an initial exploration of unmet needs and support preferences of caregivers of children with SCI

“…Finally, this study adds to the research on the importance of peer groups and peer support for patients and family members engaged in SCI care and rehabilitation [48,49]. Throughout the focus groups, caregivers were able to not only express their needs in their own words, but they were able to interact and share their experiences with one another.…”

Spinal Cord Injury Peer Mentorship: Applying Self-Determination Theory to Explain Quality of Life and Participation

“…5; 27 Other peer mentorship studies have also discussed the importance of relatedness. 11 These findings therefore highlight that if mentors can enhance the psychological needs of competence and relatedness among their mentees, the mentees will likely report greater QoL and specific types of participation. On a practical level, mentors should continue (or start) providing positive feedback, demonstrating new skills, and structuring their mentorship sessions (e.g., outlining goals and expectations of the sessions) to enhance competence.…”

Pilot study of a training program to enhance transformational leadership in Spinal Cord Injury Peer Mentors

“…Identifying these topics can help prioritize information to be taught in community-based mentorship training programs. Third, whereas mentoring relationships initiated in hospital settings may last from 1 month to 5 years or longer [3,8,10], most mentors in our study reported no further communication with mentees after 4 months. Collecting the reasons for terminating communication (e.g., resolution of the issue for which mentorship was sought, the quality of the match, mentor availability) could improve the design and implementation of mentorship programs.…”

“…People who receive SCI peer mentorship (i.e., mentees) report various physical, social and psychological benefits of the mentorship [4][5][6][7]. Although little is known about how to maximize these benefits, recent research suggests a linkage between SCI peer mentors' displays of transformational leadership (TFL) and positive outcomes in their mentees [8].…”

“…TFL consists of four related behaviors: (1) Idealized Influence-engendering trust and respect of others and acting as a role model; (2) Inspirational Motivation-showing enthusiasm and optimism about what others can accomplish, articulating a compelling vision of the future; (3) Intellectual Stimulation-engaging the rationality of others and getting them to look at old problems in new ways; and (4) Individualized Consideration-demonstrating care and concern for others' physical and psychological needs [9]. In a recent qualitative study involving SCI peer mentors, mentees reported a greater sense of relatedness with their mentors, and increased motivation, self-confidence, hope, and participation when they perceived that their mentors displayed TFL [8]. These results suggest there may be value in training SCI peer mentors to use TFL.…”