Findings from qualitative studies suggest parents of children with disabilities benefit from peer support; whereas findings from quantitative studies are inconclusive

Abstract

Implications for practice and research ▪ Qualitative research suggests shared social identity, learning from others, personal growth and supporting others are key ingredients of peer support for parents of children with disabling conditions.▪ Evidence for the efficacy of peer support for parents is limited due to the methodical challenges of undertaking controlled studies in this field.▪ Future research should aim to identify factors of effective peer support and its utilisation in healthcare settings. ContextHealthcare professionals routinely recommend peer support for parents of children with long-term and disabling conditions. Peer support comprises of parent groups and one-to-one parent support in the absence of a healthcare professional or facilitator. Unlike peer support for patients, the effectiveness of peer support for parents has rarely been investigated. Shilling and colleagues undertook a systematic review to identify the perceived benefits of parent peer support to the recipient's health and well-being and family functioning. In addition, studies were evaluated in relation to the type of support offered, duration of support, long-term effects and economic outcomes of peer support. MethodsAdopting a non-categorical approach for long-term conditions in childhood, but excluding cancer, Shilling and colleagues systematically searched multiple medical, nursing and allied health databases and grey literature. The methodical quality of the studies was evaluated using criteria described by the UK National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and the Cochrane Collaboration. Missing information was requested from the authors of the primary studies where possible. Owing to different types of peer support, heterogeneous outcomes and lack of reporting of statistical details, a meta-analysis of the quantitative studies was not feasible. FindingsSeventeen studies were included: nine qualitative studies, seven randomised controlled trials and one mixed-method study. The synthesis of the qualitative studies identified four factors that were perceived as beneficial to individuals offering support and recipients of peer support programmes: 'shared social identity', 'learning from the experience of others', 'personal growth' and 'supporting others'. Lack of shared social identity and a mismatch between perceived need and the peer support available reduced the potential benefit of peer support. Some studies indicated an improvement of a broad range of parents' psychological health outcomes. However, these effects were inconsistent across study findings. No study investigated the effect of peer support on health economic outcomes or healthcare utilisation. CommentaryShilling and colleagues undertook a thorough review of the current literature relating to peer support for parents of children with long-term and disabling conditions. Only a few relevant primary studies were indentified and included in the review; most studies were underpinned by qualitative methods. This paucity of research is noticeable, con...