Department of Community Mental Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Psychiatr Rehabil J. 2012 Sep;35(5):376-80. doi: 10.1037/h0094496.
Peer providers experience unique recovery and growth processes. This study examines the relationship of these processes with multiple occupational characteristics related to peer work. Outcomes are examined using positive psychology concepts: psychological well-being, posttraumatic growth, and generativity, as well as established recovery and empowerment measures.
Thirty peer providers employed in a variety of mental-health agencies participated in the study and completed standardized measures of recovery and growth processes. Multiple past and present occupational characteristics were identified and coded based on a semistructured interview and a background questionnaire.
Multivariate analyses revealed a significant association between participants' generativity and past participation in peer-support/self-help groups, as well as past work in a helping profession. No associations were found between the characteristics of participants' present peer jobs and the examined recovery and growth processes.
The present findings have implications for the expansion of the peer-provider workforce. They suggest that encouraging and enabling peer-support groups and peer-run organizations may have positive impact on the generativity of peer providers, and may draw generative individuals to this emerging occupational modality of mental-health recovery oriented service. Study findings underscore the need for future research on recovery processes from the perspective of positive psychology and highlight the value of peer exposure as a catalyst of recovery and growth.
同伴提供者经历独特的康复和成长过程。本研究考察了这些过程与与同伴工作相关的多种职业特征之间的关系。使用积极心理学概念来检验结果：心理幸福感、创伤后成长和生育能力，以及既定的康复和赋权措施。
30 名在各种心理健康机构工作的同伴提供者参加了这项研究，并完成了康复和成长过程的标准化测量。根据半结构化访谈和背景问卷确定并编码了多种过去和现在的职业特征。
多元分析显示，参与者的生育能力与过去参与同伴支持/自助团体以及过去从事帮助职业之间存在显著关联。参与者目前同伴工作的特征与所检查的康复和成长过程之间没有关联。
目前的研究结果对扩大同伴提供者的劳动力队伍具有重要意义。它们表明，鼓励和支持同伴支持团体和同伴经营的组织可能会对同伴提供者的生育能力产生积极影响，并可能吸引有生育能力的个人参与这种新兴的以心理健康康复为导向的服务模式。研究结果强调了从积极心理学角度研究康复过程的必要性，并突出了同伴接触作为康复和成长催化剂的价值。
