Almeida Margaret, Day Annie, Smith Bret, Bianco Cynthia, Fortuna Karen
The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, ProHealth NH, Manchester, NH, United States.
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.
J Particip Med. 2020 Nov 26;12(4):e17053. doi: 10.2196/17053.
Peer support specialists offering mental health and substance use support services have been shown to reduce stigma, hospitalizations, and health care costs. However, as peer support specialists are part of a fast-growing mental health and substance use workforce in innovative integrated care settings, they encounter various challenges in their new roles and tasks.
The purpose of this study was to explore peer support specialists' experiences regarding employment challenges in integrated mental health and substance use workplace settings in New Hampshire, USA.
Using experience-based co-design, nonpeer academic researchers co-designed this study with peer support specialists. We conducted a series of focus groups with peer support specialists (N=15) from 3 different integrated mental health and substance use agencies. Audio recordings were transcribed. Data analysis included content analysis and thematic analysis.
We identified 90 final codes relating to 6 themes: (1) work role and boundaries, (2) hiring, (3) work-life balance, (4) work support, (5) challenges, and (6) identified training needs.
The shared values of experience-based co-design and peer support specialists eased facilitation between peer support specialists and nonpeer academic researchers, and indicated that this methodology is feasible for nonpeer academic researchers and peer support specialists alike. Participants expressed challenges with agency restrictions, achieving work-life balance, stigma, and low compensation. We present actionable items to address these challenges in integrated mental health and substance use systems to potentially offset workforce dissatisfaction and high turnover rates.
提供心理健康和物质使用支持服务的同伴支持专家已被证明可以减少耻辱感、住院率和医疗保健成本。然而，由于同伴支持专家是创新综合护理环境中快速增长的心理健康和物质使用劳动力的一部分，他们在新的角色和任务中面临各种挑战。
本研究的目的是探讨美国新罕布什尔州综合心理健康和物质使用工作场所环境中同伴支持专家在就业挑战方面的经历。
采用基于经验的协同设计，非同行学术研究人员与同伴支持专家共同设计了本研究。我们与来自3个不同的综合心理健康和物质使用机构的同伴支持专家（N = 15）进行了一系列焦点小组讨论。对音频记录进行了转录。数据分析包括内容分析和主题分析。
我们确定了与6个主题相关的90个最终代码：（1）工作角色和界限，（2）招聘，（3）工作与生活的平衡，（4）工作支持，（5）挑战，以及（6）确定的培训需求。
基于经验的协同设计和同伴支持专家的共同价值观简化了同伴支持专家与非同行学术研究人员之间的沟通，并表明这种方法对非同行学术研究人员和同伴支持专家同样可行。参与者表达了在机构限制、实现工作与生活的平衡、耻辱感和低薪酬方面的挑战。我们提出了可采取行动的项目，以应对综合心理健康和物质使用系统中的这些挑战，从而有可能减少劳动力的不满和高离职率。
