Table 2.
Program Description and Outcomes of Peer Support
| Study | Program Description | Study Participants | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peer Employees (Employed Consumers) | |||
| Solomon & Draine 1994; 1995 [20-22] | A randomized trial of a team of case managers who are mental health consumers compared to a team of non-consumers. | Recipients of case management (n=94) | Case management services delivered by consumers were as effective as those provided by non-consumers (symptomatology; QOL; social contacts; medication compliance; alliances with clients). Clients served by a consumer team were less satisfied with mental health treatment. |
| Felton et al. 1995 [23] | An intensive case-management program with peer specialists. | Recipients of case management (n=104) | Clients served by teams with peer specialists demonstrated greater gains in several areas of QOL and an overall reduction in the number of major life problems experienced. |
| Rivera et al. 2007 [26] | Consumer-assisted case management with standard clinic-based care. | Recipients of case management or clinic-based care (n=203) | There were no significant differences between the consumer-assisted program and other programs in terms of symptoms, satisfaction, subjective QOL, objective ratings of contacts with family or friends, and objective ratings of activities and finances. |
| Lawn et al. 2008 [27] | Early discharge and hospital avoidance support program provided by peers. | Recipients of peer support (n=49) | 300 bed days and costs were saved by the peer service. |
| Sells et al. 2006; 2008 [18, 19] | Intensive case-management teams that included peer providers. | Recipients of case management (n=137) | Participants who received peer-based services felt that their providers communicated in ways that were more validating and reported more positive provider relationship qualities compared with participants in the control condition. |
| Griswold et al. 2010 [25] | Trained peers employed by a local community organization provide a variety of services, including connections to social and rehabilitation services, by arranging appointments and providing transport. | Recipients of psychiatric emergency care (n=175) | Participants with peer support were significantly more likely to make connections to primary medical care. |
| Peer-Led (Peer-Run) Programs | |||
| Chinman et al. 2001 [15] | An outreach and engagement program developed, staffed, and managed entirely by mental health consumers. | Recipients of consumer-run service or outpatient service (n=158) | Re-hospitalization rate. (No difference between the intervention group and the control group.) |
| Yanos et al. 2001 [28] | Programs that are staffed and operated completely by self-described mental health consumers provide services such as self-help, activity groups, and drop-in groups. | Recipients of mental health services (n=60) | Involvement in self-help services was associated with better community adjustment, the use of more coping strategies, and a greater proportion of problem-centered coping strategies. |
| Corrigan 2006 [29] | Consumer-operated services. | People with psychiatric disability (n=1824) | Participation in peer support was positively correlated with recovery or empowerment factors. |
| Nelson et al. 2007 [30] | Consumer / survivor initiatives run by and for people with mental illness. | Participants of peer-run organization (n=102) | Continuously active participants scored significantly higher on a measure of community integration than the non-active group. |
| Mutual Help Groups | |||
| Galanter 1988 [31] | Self-help program designed by a psychiatrist to help participants cope with general psychiatric disorders. | Participants in self-help group (n=356) | A decline was found in both symptoms and concomitant psychiatric treatment after subjects joined the self-help group. |
| Wilson et al. 1999 [32] | Peer group work, including welcoming members, check-in, group discussion, planning a recreational outing and check-out or closure. | Participants in peer support groups (n=165) | Maintained independent or semi-independent living, an increase in the use of community resources and an increase in the size of the social support network. |
| Segal & Silverman 2002 [33] | Self-help agencies that offer mutual support groups, drop-in space, and direct services, including case management, peer counseling, housing, financial benefits, job counseling, information and referral. | Long-term users of self-help agencies (n=255) | The participants showed significant improvement in personal empowerment, a significant decrease in assisted social functioning, and no significant change in independent social functioning. |
| Bracke et al. 2008 [34] | Peer groups of clients of day-activity programs of rehabilitation centers for persons with chronic mental health problems. | Users of vocational and psychiatric rehabilitation centers (n=628) | The effects on self-esteem and self-efficacy of the balance between providing and receiving support in the peer groups were evaluated. The results showed that providing peer support is more beneficial than receiving it. |
| Castelein et al. 2008 [14] | A closed peer-support group discussing daily life experiences. The group has 16 90-minute sessions biweekly over 8 months. | Users of healthcare centers (n=106) | Peer support groups had a positive effect on social network and social support compared with the control condition. |