Stracathro Hospital, NHS Tayside, Brechin, UK.
NMAHP Research Unit, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
J Ment Health. 2019 Dec;28(6):647-653. doi: 10.1080/09638237.2017.1370640. Epub 2017 Aug 30.
: Many UK military veterans experiencing mental health and well-being difficulties do not engage with support services to get the help they need. Some mental health clinics employ Peer Support Workers (PSWs) to help veteran patients engage, however it is not known how the role influences UK veteran engagement.: To gain insight into the role of peer support in UK veteran engagement with mental health and well-being services.: A qualitative study based on 18 semi-structured interviews with veterans, PSWs and mental health clinicians at a specialist veteran mental health and well-being clinic in Scotland.: Four themes of the PSW role as positive first impression, understanding professional friend, helpful and supportive connector, and an open door were identified across all participants. The PSWs' military connection, social and well-being support and role in providing veterans with an easily accessible route to dis-engage and re-engage with the service over multiple engagement attempts were particularly crucial.: The Peer Support role enhanced veteran engagement in the majority of instances. Study findings mirrored existing peer support literature, provided new evidence in relation to engaging UK veterans, and made recommendations for future veteran research and service provision.
许多英国退伍军人在经历心理健康和福祉问题时，并未寻求支持服务来获得所需的帮助。一些心理健康诊所雇用朋辈支持工作者（PSWs）来帮助退伍军人患者参与，但目前尚不清楚该角色如何影响英国退伍军人的参与度。
为了深入了解朋辈支持在英国退伍军人参与心理健康和福祉服务中的作用。
这是一项基于苏格兰一家专门的退伍军人心理健康和福祉诊所的 18 名退伍军人、PSWs 和心理健康临床医生的半结构化访谈的定性研究。
在所有参与者中，确定了朋辈支持工作者角色的四个主题：积极的第一印象、理解专业朋友、有帮助和支持的联系人以及开放的大门。PSWs 的军事联系、社会和福祉支持以及在为退伍军人提供一个容易进入的途径方面发挥的作用，使他们能够在多次参与尝试中多次退出和重新参与服务，这一点尤为关键。
朋辈支持角色在大多数情况下增强了退伍军人的参与度。研究结果与现有的朋辈支持文献相呼应，为英国退伍军人的参与提供了新的证据，并为未来的退伍军人研究和服务提供提出了建议。
