Combining online and offline peer support groups in community mental health care settings: a qualitative study of service users’ experiences

Strand, Monica; Eng, Lillian Sofie; Gammon, Deede

doi:10.1186/s13033-020-00370-x

Cited by 50 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Relationships are central to PSWs [ 66 ], and one impact of COVID-19 is to increase the use of web-based approaches by trained PSWs as an alternative relationship medium. Combining web-based and offline peer support has been shown to be a promising concept, with one qualitative Norwegian study of peer support recipients finding it enabled connectedness and allowed individuals to balance anonymity and openness [ 67 ]. Web-based training may help future PSWs to have both technological skills and the confidence to engage with PSW recipients on the web.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Initial Training for Mental Health Peer Support Workers: Systematized Review and International Delphi Consultation

Charles¹,

Nixdorf²,

Ibrahim³

et al. 2021

JMIR Ment Health

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Background Initial training is essential for the mental health peer support worker (PSW) role. Training needs to incorporate recent advances in digital peer support and the increase of peer support work roles internationally. There is a lack of evidence on training topics that are important for initial peer support work training and on which training topics can be provided on the internet. Objective The objective of this study is to establish consensus levels about the content of initial training for mental health PSWs and the extent to which each identified topic can be delivered over the internet. Methods A systematized review was conducted to identify a preliminary list of training topics from existing training manuals. Three rounds of Delphi consultation were then conducted to establish the importance and web-based deliverability of each topic. In round 1, participants were asked to rate the training topics for importance, and the topic list was refined. In rounds 2 and 3, participants were asked to rate each topic for importance and the extent to which they could be delivered over the internet. Results The systematized review identified 32 training manuals from 14 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These were synthesized to develop a preliminary list of 18 topics. The Delphi consultation involved 110 participants (49 PSWs, 36 managers, and 25 researchers) from 21 countries (14 high-income, 5 middle-income, and 2 low-income countries). After the Delphi consultation (round 1: n=110; round 2: n=89; and round 3: n=82), 20 training topics (18 universal and 2 context-specific) were identified. There was a strong consensus about the importance of five topics: lived experience as an asset, ethics, PSW well-being, and PSW role focus on recovery and communication, with a moderate consensus for all other topics apart from the knowledge of mental health. There was no clear pattern of differences among PSW, manager, and researcher ratings of importance or between responses from participants in countries with different resource levels. All training topics were identified with a strong consensus as being deliverable through blended web-based and face-to-face training (rating 1) or fully deliverable on the internet with moderation (rating 2), with none identified as only deliverable through face-to-face teaching (rating 0) or deliverable fully on the web as a stand-alone course without moderation (rating 3). Conclusions The 20 training topics identified can be recommended for inclusion in the curriculum of initial training programs for PSWs. Further research on web-based delivery of initial training is needed to understand the role of web-based moderation and whether web-based training better prepares recipients to deliver web-based peer support.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Initial Training for Mental Health Peer Support Workers: Systematized Review and International Delphi Consultation

Charles¹,

Nixdorf²,

Ibrahim³

et al. 2021

JMIR Ment Health

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“…The forums offer peer support, a type of service which has proven effective in supporting mental wellness, both face-to-face and online [ 2 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Institutional trust and reputation foster a large network of users and a bank of past experiences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most, including the forums in this research, are facilitated by nonprofit mental health organisations. Such models of online peer support have been found to deliver considerable mental health benefits [ 20 ] through providing emotional and informational support [ 21 ], social connectedness, empowerment and helping people cope [ 2 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wellness Impacts of Social Capital Built in Online Peer Support Forums

Kilpatrick

Emery

Farmer

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The study reported in this paper sought to explore whether and how social capital resources were generated on online peer support mental health forums, and how they were used by rural users to influence mental health outcomes. Interviews with rural users of three Australian online peer support mental health forums were analysed to identify interactions that accessed social capital resources and mental wellness outcomes that flowed from these. Analysis drew on a model of simultaneous building and using of social capital to uncover the nature of the social capital resources present on the forum and how they were built. Findings show that forums were sites for building ‘knowledge resources’ including archives of users’ experiences of navigating mental illness and the mental health service system; and ‘identity resources’ including a willingness to contribute in line with forum values. The knowledge and identity resources built and available to rural users on the forums are facilitated by forum characteristics, which can be viewed as affordances of technology and institutional affordances. Operation by trusted organisations, moderation, a large network of users and anonymity created a safe space that encouraged reciprocity and where users exchanged information and social support that helped them maintain better mental wellness.

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“…However, there is a lack of research on the potential moderating effect of online social support on the relationship between negative life events and suicidal ideation among youth. Thus, this paper addressed the aforementioned gaps in the literature, as follows: (1) As the most mainstream and welldocumented form of social support, offline social support has real-time convenience and directness that online social support does not; as such, offline social support can have a far-reaching impacts on individual health behavior (Strand et al, 2020). However, it remains unclear whether offline social support might inhibit or protect suicidal ideation among youth of different genders under the pressure of different types of negative life events.…”

Section: Research Gaps and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between negative life events and suicidal ideation among youth in China: The direct and moderating effects of offline and online social support from gender perspective

Xin

Petrovic²,

Zhang³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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BackgroundSuicidal ideation was proved to be a critical precondition leading to the occurrence of subsequent suicidal behavior. Studies have confirmed that negative life events and forms of social support that youth are experiencing in the current socio-cultural context might have unique impacts on their suicidal ideation. However, the specific mechanism is relatively underexplored.ObjectiveWe sought to investigate the impacts of offline and online social supports on Chinese students’ suicidal ideation under the pressure of various negative life events, as well as potential gender differences in these relationships.MethodsParticipants were 2,018 middle – high school and university students from Northwestern China, who completed a demographics questionnaire and self-report measures of negative life events, social support, and suicidal ideation.ResultsOffline social support had a significant direct effect on suicidal ideation across genders. Among male youth, offline social support only had a moderating effect on the relationship between punitive negative life events and suicidal ideation. Among female youth, offline social support had a significant moderating effect on suicidal ideation under the pressure of all types of negative life events; Online social support only had a significant direct effect on female youth’s suicidal ideation, although it did significantly moderate the relationship between all types of negative life events and suicidal ideation, across genders.ConclusionOur findings revealed direct and moderating effects of offline and online social support on suicidal ideation among youth under the pressure of different types of negative life events, as well as gender-specific patterns in these relationships.

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Combining online and offline peer support groups in community mental health care settings: a qualitative study of service users’ experiences

Cited by 50 publications

References 68 publications

Initial Training for Mental Health Peer Support Workers: Systematized Review and International Delphi Consultation

Initial Training for Mental Health Peer Support Workers: Systematized Review and International Delphi Consultation

Wellness Impacts of Social Capital Built in Online Peer Support Forums

Relationships between negative life events and suicidal ideation among youth in China: The direct and moderating effects of offline and online social support from gender perspective

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