Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study

Osborn, Tom; Town, R.; Ellis, Robert; Buckman, J.E.J.; Saunders, Rosemary; Fonagy, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100175

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…However, some of the findings also found that the challenges of peer counseling should not be ignored. Osborn et al (2022) and King & Simmons ( 2018 ) found that peer counseling in colleges has been characterized by difficulties in sustainable implementation, unclear intervention effects and limited coverage. There is still a lack of systematic research to assess the effectiveness of the services provided by these centers or the appropriateness of the various peer counseling training programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That resource is peer relationships. Peer counseling was regarded as an important supplement to the counseling work of university psychology majors (Osborn et al, 2022;Suresh et al, 2021;Venegas-Muggli et al, 2023).Therefore, the need for better mutual support among people becomes important, especially in universities. One way to achieve this is through peer support from one person to another,…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Peer Counseling for College Students' Well-Being: A Brief Review

Haiyan,

Baki

2024

Journal of Medicine and Health Science

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Negative emotions are inevitable for every college student, which can lead to psychological pressure and lack of confidence in study. Peer counseling, as an important supplement to college students' mental health education system, plays an active role in the process of psychological crisis intervention in colleges. In order to promote the development of peer counseling in campus, a scoping review methodology was used in this study, mainly focused on the advantages and disadvantages of peer counseling in colleges and universities. It puts forward suggestions to provide new ideas for the scholar to explore the conducive strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Counseling for College Students' Well-Being: A Brief Review

Haiyan,

Baki

2024

Journal of Medicine and Health Science

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“…Thus far, universities have been actively encouraged to develop peer support interventions [14] without any clear consensus [30] or solid evidence [39] around what constitutes effective peer support in their university context. Although some forms of university peer support are feasible, acceptable, and safe, implementation difficulties still exist [40]. The sector needs an in-depth understanding of all types of peer support to implement successful interventions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staff Perspectives: Defining the Types, Challenges and Lessons Learnt of University Peer Support for Student Mental Health and Wellbeing

Pointon-Haas,

Byrom,

Foster

et al. 2023

Education Sciences

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In university settings, peer support brings people together based on their student identity. Peer support has been advocated as an innovative intervention to aid student mental health and wellbeing as part of a whole university approach, especially post-pandemic when student support is critical. While the literature describes three types of university peer support for student mental health and wellbeing, peer-led support groups, peer mentoring, and peer learning, the sector lacks agreed definitions for these interventions. Formal reporting on peer support initiatives is rare, suggesting further types of peer support practice may exist. This qualitative study, comprising semi-structured interviews with 16 university staff members at 14 different institutions, aimed to generate comprehensive definitions of the types of peer support used in the sector through template analysis. The study also sought to understand the current practice, experiences, and challenges around implementing peer support interventions for undergraduate and postgraduate students’ mental health and wellbeing from the perspective of the staff who support and coordinate these programmes. Five types of peer support were identified and defined. In addition, the challenges of engagement, resource and capacity, and evaluation were highlighted. Finally, lessons learnt provided potential ways to address the challenges outlined and provided sector guidance for further developing peer support as part of a whole university approach to student mental health and wellbeing.

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“…To ensure integrated primary youth mental health (YMH) care models are developmentally appropriate and person centred, it is recommended that young people are at the heart of service delivery (Halsall et al, 2021; O'Reilly et al, 2022; Rickwood et al, 2019; Zbukvic et al, 2020). One component of youth participation that is gaining attention is the involvement of young people through peer support (Anderson & Cooke, & Zbukvic, 2020; Hennessy et al, 2022; Osborn et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic scoping review of peer support interventions in integrated primary youth mental health care

Murphy,

Huggard,

Fitzgerald

et al. 2023

Journal Community Psychology

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Peer support, defined as the social and emotional support offered and received by individuals with a shared experience of mental health difficulties, is gaining popularity in youth mental health settings. This systematic scoping review aimed to collate and synthesise the evidence on key aspects of peer support interventions within integrated youth services and educational settings. Specifically, it synthesised evidence on the (1) assessed mental health outcomes in peer support interventions, (2) key characteristics and associated roles of peer support workers (PSWs) and (3) barriers and facilitators to implementation. A search of peer reviewed articles from January 2005 to June 2022 across five electronic databases (PsychINFO, Pubmed, Scopus, ERIC and CINAHL) was conducted. A total of 15 studies retrieved in the search met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. This review supports previous research indicating that peer support has potential for improving recovery related outcomes. While a variety of interventions and PSW roles were reported, studies could be strengthened by providing more in‐depth information on intervention content. Examples of barriers to implementation included staff concerns around confidentiality of peer support relationships as well as PSWs' confidence in their roles. Facilitators included positive support from staff members and role clarity.

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Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study

Cited by 5 publications

References 34 publications

Peer Counseling for College Students' Well-Being: A Brief Review

Peer Counseling for College Students' Well-Being: A Brief Review

Staff Perspectives: Defining the Types, Challenges and Lessons Learnt of University Peer Support for Student Mental Health and Wellbeing

A systematic scoping review of peer support interventions in integrated primary youth mental health care

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