Peer support involves people in recovery from mental illness supporting their peers.
Purpose.
This mixed-methods pilot randomized control trial with qualitative interviews aimed to (a) compare peer support worker (PSW) and mental health worker (MHW) client outcomes and (b) provide estimates to inform the design of a larger study.
Method.
Fifteen adults living with a mental illness and receiving services at a community health team were randomly assigned to a PSW or a MHW group. The Quality of Life Interview–Brief Version was administered at baseline and after 6 months of intervention. Participants completed a semi-structured exit interview.
Findings.
While both groups improved from baseline to 6 months, the PSW group did not improve more than the MHW group. Interviews highlighted therapeutic alliance and boundaries.
Implications.
This research adds to existing literature that PSWs produce outcomes similar to nonpeer staff and struggle with boundaries related to their unique role.
Description.
Le soutien par les pairs est une forme de soutien offert à des pairs par des personnes se rétablissant d’une maladie mentale.
But.
Cet essai clinique aléatoire pilote à méthodologie mixte, suivi d’entretiens qualitatifs, avait pour but de (a) comparer les résultats des clients de pairs-aidants en santé mentale (PASM) à ceux des clients de travailleurs en santé mentale (TSM), et (b) de fournir des estimations en vue d’orienter le plan d’expérience d’une étude à plus grande échelle.
Méthodologie.
Quinze adultes atteints d’une maladie mentale et recevant des services d’une équipe de santé communautaire ont été assignés aléatoirement à un groupe de PASM ou à un groupe de TSM. Le Quality of Life Interview–Brief Version a été administré au départ, et six mois après le début de l’intervention. Les participants ont pris part à un entretien semi-structuré à la fin de l’intervention.
Résultats.
Bien que les deux groupes se soient améliorés entre le début de l’intervention et six mois plus tard, le groupe de PASM n’a pas connu une plus grande amélioration que le groupe de TSM. Les entretiens ont permis de mettre en relief l’alliance thérapeutique et les frontières interpersonnelles.
Conséquences.
Au-delà de la littérature existante, cette recherche permet d’affirmer que les PASM produisent des résultats semblables à ceux des membres du personnel qui ne sont pas des pairs, et que les PASM ont de la difficulté face aux frontières associées à leur rôle unique.
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