A Relational Approach to the Design for Peer Support

Abstract

Peer-support services enhance mental wellbeing and increase the knowledge and capabilities of self-help groups in various settings. To ensure that these services foster peer-support relationships as intended, it is necessary to design and assess them from a relational perspective. This study presents a relational framework for peer-support design and its application to two existing peer-support services for solitary seniors in Seoul and Ulsan. The framework aims to support the analysis and conception of peer-support services. It incorporates network analysis and codesigning to understand multi-faceted peer-support relationships and to develop strategies for creating relational values, respectively. Case studies used observation and interviews to understand the multi-faceted issue of social support. Relational data for fourteen solitary seniors were collected and analyzed in terms of the qualities, quantities, and structure of peer-support relationships. Analysis results demonstrate an increased level of perceived peer support through relationship forming, as well as the factors that suppress peer-support building such as network fragmentation and the discrepancy of needs. Analysis results were fed into codesigning interventions with stakeholders. Based on these findings, we discuss the preconditions for building peer-support relationships and outline the relational approach to the design for peer support in a wider context.

From active police duty to civilian life: The role of peer support

“…of Veteran Affairs, 2013; Open Arms: Veterans and Families Counselling, nd). Indeed, the provision of therapeutic support through a peer group model has been shown to be an effective service model delivery (Van Hasselt et al, 2018), particularly in terms of the value placed on its relational features (Pahk and Baek, 2021).…”

“…The provision of adequate resources required to assist transitions from service has been recognised as an important factor for creating new identities, interests and career opportunities (Tufano, 2018; Carney et al, 2021). Increases in social connection and social support as experienced in a peer support program model (Pahk and Baek, 2021) is a material benefit aiding the exploration of future career and interest options.…”

“They have their security, we have our community”: Mutual support among people experiencing homelessness in encampments in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…A few studies have shown that people experiencing homelessness support one another, both informally and through formal peer support initiatives ( Dej, 2020 ; Green, Mason, & Ollerenshaw, 2004 ; Guirguis-Younger, McNeil, & Hwang, 2014 ). Peer support initiatives have also been shown to help other groups experiencing marginalization, such as people with mental health issues or who use substances ( Batchelder et al, 2017 ; Boyce, Munn-Giddings, & Secker, 2018 ; Deering et al, 2009 ), people living with HIV ( Roth et al, 2012 ), the isolated elderly ( Pahk & Baek, 2021 ), and individuals with low health literacy, low socioeconomic status, or other disadvantages ( Sokol & Fisher, 2016 ). Yet there is less research on informal peer support networks, including limited investigation of their mutuality.…”