Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, corner of Plenty Road & Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora Victoria, Australia 3083.
School of Nursing & Midwifery, La Trobe University, corner of Plenty Road & Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora Victoria, Australia 3083.
Health Promot Int. 2019 Jun 1;34(3):479-489. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dax097.
Perinatal mental health is an important public health issue, and peer support is a potentially important strategy for emotional well-being in the perinatal period. PANDA Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia provides support to individuals impacted by perinatal mental health issues via the National Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Helpline. Callers receive peer support from volunteers and counselling from paid professional staff. The views and experiences of PANDA peer support volunteers have not previously been studied. We conducted two focus groups and an online survey to explore the experiences of women providing volunteer peer support on the Helpline. Data collection took place in October and November 2013. Two social theories were used in framing and addressing the study aims and in interpreting our findings: the Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis, and the Helper Therapy Principle. All PANDA volunteers were invited to participate (n = 40). Eight volunteers attended a focus group, and 11 survey responses were received. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. All survey respondents 'strongly agreed' that they felt positive about being part of PANDA. Thematic analysis of data from focus groups and open-ended survey responses identified the following themes: motivated to help others, supported to support callers, helping to make a difference and emotional impacts for volunteers. Respondents described a strong desire to support others experiencing emotional distress as a motivator to volunteer. Although perinatal peer support services are designed to benefit those who receive support, this study suggests volunteers may also experience personal benefits from the role.
围产期心理健康是一个重要的公共卫生问题，同伴支持是围产期情绪健康的一个潜在重要策略。澳大利亚熊猫围产期焦虑和抑郁组织通过全国围产期焦虑和抑郁帮助热线为受围产期心理健康问题影响的个人提供支持。来电者从志愿者那里获得同伴支持，并接受付费专业人员的咨询。此前，尚未研究过熊猫围产期焦虑和抑郁组织同伴支持志愿者的观点和经验。我们进行了两次焦点小组讨论和一项在线调查，以探讨在帮助热线提供志愿者同伴支持的女性的经验。数据收集于 2013 年 10 月和 11 月进行。在构建和解决研究目标以及解释我们的研究结果时，使用了两种社会理论：同理心-利他主义假设和帮助治疗原则。所有熊猫志愿者都被邀请参加（n=40）。8 名志愿者参加了焦点小组，收到了 11 份调查答复。使用描述性统计来分析定量数据。所有调查受访者“强烈同意”他们为成为熊猫组织的一员感到自豪。对焦点小组和开放式调查答复数据的主题分析确定了以下主题：有帮助他人的动力，支持来电者，帮助产生影响，以及对志愿者的情绪影响。受访者描述了强烈的愿望，希望支持那些正在经历情绪困扰的人，这是他们成为志愿者的动机。尽管围产期同伴支持服务旨在使那些接受支持的人受益，但这项研究表明，志愿者也可能从这一角色中获得个人收益。
