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

Abstract

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.

A Review of the Literature on the Influence of Peer Support Programs on Student Mental Health and Well-Being

“…However, to emphasize its importance, peer support programs have been researched in various academic settings, including community colleges and large universities. Local and international students have been involved in these studies (Lee, 2017;Martirosyan et al, 2019;Huang, 2023;Pointon Haas et al, 2023;Suresh et al, 2021). These studies also demonstrate the effectiveness of peer support programs for students from all backgrounds.…”

Group-format, peer-facilitated mental health promotion interventions for students in higher education settings: a scoping review protocol

“…Peer-facilitated approaches may be particularly appropriate for mental health promotion among young people given the importance of peer influence at this point in the life course. 46 These approaches have the potential to be low resource and sustainable in resource-constrained settings, 42 though still requiring investment and engagement 47 to be productively implemented.…”