Peer Support Activities for Veterans, Serving Members, and Their Families: Results of a Scoping Review

Abstract

For many, including military veterans and their families, support between individuals with shared lived experiences, or peer support, has long been utilized as a way to support each other through many different challenges. Building on other reviews and guided by the seven domains of well-being in the Canadian veteran well-being framework, the objective of this paper is to describe and catalogue the nature of peer support activities and related outcomes in the veteran, serving member, and family member populations. A scoping review following the five stages outlined by Arksey and O’Malley was conducted; it was guided by the question: What is currently known about peer support activities for veterans, serving members, and their families that has been evaluated in the literature? In total, 101 publications from 6 different countries were included in this review and catalogued based on publication characteristics, participant information, peer support activity information, and peer information. Peer support activities have the potential to positively influence the well-being of veterans, serving members, and their families on a holistic level across multiple domains. This scoping review highlights the existing gaps in the literature and provides an important foundation for future research on peer support for these populations, specifically in the Canadian context.

Ways Rural Group Peer Support Experiences Support PTSD Care

“…Incorporating peer support with evidence-based treatments can minimize dropout rates and facilitate re-engagement in traumainformed therapies (Hernandez-Tejada et al, 2017. Peer support groups may improve interpersonal connection and activity, enhance well-being, encourage involvement in treatment, promote recovery-oriented attitudes, and facilitate awareness, trust, and posttraumatic growth (Donovan, 2022;Gulliver et al, 2023;Hundt et al, 2015;Jain et al, 2014;Mercier et al, 2023).…”

Operational Stress Injury

“…Social support has an important role in the recovery of people with OSIs. As part of that, peer support provides understanding, empathy, and a sense of belonging, which are important for adaptive coping with the aftermath of traumatic experiences [65]. Military veterans have identified benefits from peer support, include gaining more purpose and meaning in life, normalization of symptoms, enhanced hope, and more [66].…”