Telephone-based mutual peer support for depression: a pilot study

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and depression-related outcomes of a telephone-based mutual peer support intervention for individuals with continued depressive symptoms in specialty mental health treatment. Methods: Participants were depressed patients with continued symptoms or functional impairment treated at one of the three outpatient mental health clinics. Participants were partnered with another patient, provided with basic communication skills training, and asked to call their partner at least once a week using a telephone platform that recorded call initiation, frequency and duration. Depression symptoms, quality of life, disability, self-efficacy, overall mental and physical health and qualitative feedback were collected at enrolment, 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Results: Fifty-four participants enroled in the 12-week intervention and 32 participants (59.3%) completed the intervention. Participants completing the study averaged 10.3 calls, with a mean call length of 26.8 min. The mean change in BDI-II score from baseline to study completion was -4.2 (95% CI: -7.6, -0.8; p<0.02). Measures of disability, quality of life and psychological health also improved. Qualitative assessments indicated that participants found meaning and support through interactions with their partners. Discussion: Telephone-based mutual peer support is a feasible and acceptable adjunct to specialty depression care. Larger trials are needed to determine efficacy and effectiveness of this intervention.

Augmenting Ongoing Depression Care With a Mutual Peer Support Intervention Versus Self-Help Materials Alone: A Randomized Trial

“…Although there have been some promising results from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining mutual dyadic peer support for adults with diabetes (7) and from a pilot study examining mutual peer support for adults with depression (8), no RCTs have examined the effectiveness of mutual peer support for patients in depression treatment who have persistent symptoms. Mutual peer support is important to assess, given initial promising findings, its potential scalability, and benefits that might arise from helping others as well as being helped (9).…”

A Scoping Study of One-to-One Peer Mentorship Interventions and Recommendations for Application With Veterans With Postdeployment Syndrome

“…48 The literature suggests that peers are capable of conducting assessment and triage, [3][4][5] coaching and teaching, 36 and providing direct social support. 42 In the absence of a systematic review to inform best practices, a summary of existing PM practice is offered as a benchmark for the current standard of care. 15 The present review suggests that in addition to these potential roles, PM might play a role in decreasing stigma associated with seeking care and improving adherence, 4 increasing knowledge of treatment resources, 36 and augmenting or teaching self-management.…”

Peers experience of delivering a problem‐solving programme to enhance antipsychotic medication adherence for individuals with schizophrenia

“…On average, peer support telephone calls in other studies have ranged from 26.8 to 39 min (Dennis , Travis et al . , Kemp & Henderson ). It has been suggested that it is the quality of the interaction and relationship, not the duration, that is positively associated with improved health outcomes (Dennis et al .…”