The value of peer support groups following disaster: From Aberfan to Manchester

Eyre, Anne

doi:10.1080/02682621.2019.1679453

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Support from others like oneself is increasingly recognised as a key part of the recovery process following collective tragedies. 3,32,35 In our interviews, as Harms et al 56 found in relation to the Australian bushfires, families and friends can act as a source of support particularly when they have shared experience of the distressing incident. As has also been found in previous research, 31 our analysis suggests that people who did not share experience of the attack, including families and friends, may find it more difficult to provide the support that survivors need; families and friends may try and fail, or they might avoid trying.…”

Section: Who Provided Support and What Makes It Helpful?mentioning

confidence: 69%

“…In some cases, survivors form groups with peers who share their experiences of the disaster or major incident. 3 , 32 Although there are different definitions of peer support, they all emphasise support from others who are like oneself, and in understanding participants as active rather than ‘passive victims’. 34 , 35 Peer support may be organised formally or arise informally.…”

Section: Peer Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, a Manchester Attack Support Group Programme was set up to support the people affected. 3 , 46 It organised peer support groups for bereaved people, and also provided emotional support and signposting to other services. Most of the people who joined the support groups were survivors, but bereaved people and responders also participated, with people attending from different areas of North England and beyond (i.e.…”

Section: The Study Reported In This Papermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, we hypothesised that groups and networks that arose from the Manchester Arena incident would provide important forms of support through their shared experience, which can provide a way in which people feel able to disclose safely and feel understood. 3 …”

Section: The Study Reported In This Papermentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 2 Much of the psychosocial care received by people affected by disasters and major incidents such as the Manchester Arena attack is informal, and is provided by families, friends, peer groups and social networks. 3 There is a need to understand and facilitate this informal social support, for three key reasons: effective social support is crucial for coping and recovery for most survivors, 4 formal services do not meet all survivors’ needs 4 , 5 and effective psychosocial care has been shown to prevent people developing mental health disorders. 6 The present paper contributes to this understanding through an interview study with survivors of the Manchester attack.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Survivors’ experiences of informal social support in coping and recovering after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing

et al. 2022

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Background Much of the psychosocial care people receive after major incidents and disasters is informal and is provided by families, friends, peer groups and wider social networks. Terrorist attacks have increased in recent years. Therefore, there is a need to better understand and facilitate the informal social support given to survivors. Aims We addressed three questions. First, what is the nature of any informal support-seeking and provision for people who experienced the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack? Second, who provided support, and what makes it helpful? Third, to what extent do support groups based on shared experience of the attack operate as springboards to recovery? Method Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of 18 physically non-injured survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing, registered at the NHS Manchester Resilience Hub. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed. Results Participants often felt constrained from sharing their feelings with friends and families, who were perceived as unable to understand their experiences. They described a variety of forms of helpful informal social support, including social validation, which was a feature of support provided by others based on shared experience. For many participants, accessing groups based on shared experience was an important factor in their coping and recovery, and was a springboard to personal growth. Conclusions We recommend that people who respond to survivors’ psychosocial and mental healthcare needs after emergencies and major incidents should facilitate interventions for survivors and their social networks that maximise the benefits of shared experience and social validation.

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Section: Who Provided Support and What Makes It Helpful?mentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Peer Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%