Walker Janet S, Klodnick Vanessa V, LaPelusa Brianne, Blajeski Shannon M, Freedman Alex R, Marble Shannon
Portland State University, School of Social Work, USA.
University of Texis at Austin, Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, Austin, USA.
Child Youth Serv Rev. 2023;157:107386-107394.
Peer support has become increasingly available as a formal mental health service. However, high quality research and implementation of peer support has been hampered over the years by the lack of theory that clarifies peer support roles and explains exactly how these roles foster positive outcomes for peer support users. Observers have noted that theory is particularly sparse in regard to peer support for older adolescents and young adults, and they have called for theory that not only clarifies roles and mechanisms of impact, but also identifies how peer support for young people might differ from peer support for older adults This qualitative study brought young people with experience providing and using peer support together in small group discussions focused on understanding the activities and outcomes of peer support. This information was used to develop a theory of change that outlines key activities that constitute a one-on-one peer support role for young people, and describes how and why carrying out these activities should lead to positive outcomes. The theory highlights the characteristics of a successful "peerness-based relationship," and proposes that the development of this kind of relationship mediates other positive outcomes from peer support. The article concludes with a discussion of how this theory can usefully inform the development and specification of peer support roles, training and supervision, and other organizational supports.
同伴支持作为一种正式的心理健康服务，已越来越普及。然而，多年来，高质量的同伴支持研究与实施一直受到阻碍，因为缺乏能阐明同伴支持角色并确切解释这些角色如何为同伴支持使用者带来积极成果的理论。观察家指出，在针对青少年和青年的同伴支持方面，理论尤为匮乏，他们呼吁建立一种理论，不仅要阐明影响的角色和机制，还要确定对年轻人的同伴支持与对老年人的同伴支持可能有何不同。这项定性研究将有提供和使用同伴支持经验的年轻人聚集在一起，进行小组讨论，重点是了解同伴支持的活动和成果。这些信息被用于构建一个变革理论，该理论概述了构成年轻人一对一同伴支持角色的关键活动，并描述了开展这些活动如何以及为何会带来积极成果。该理论突出了成功的“基于同伴关系”的特征，并提出这种关系的发展介导了同伴支持的其他积极成果。文章最后讨论了该理论如何能有效地为同伴支持角色的发展与规范、培训与监督以及其他组织支持提供信息。
