A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention
Abstract Background Peer-led interventions for adolescents are effective at accelerating behavioral change. The Sources of Strength suicide preventive program trains student peer change agents (peer leaders) in secondary schools to deliver prevention messaging and conduct activities that increase me...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13372-w |
| _version_ | 1818548710689210368 |
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| author | Trevor A. Pickering Peter A. Wyman Thomas W. Valente |
| author_facet | Trevor A. Pickering Peter A. Wyman Thomas W. Valente |
| author_sort | Trevor A. Pickering |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Peer-led interventions for adolescents are effective at accelerating behavioral change. The Sources of Strength suicide preventive program trains student peer change agents (peer leaders) in secondary schools to deliver prevention messaging and conduct activities that increase mental health coping mechanisms. The program currently has school staff select peer leaders. This study examined potential for more efficient program diffusion if peer leaders had been chosen under network-informed selection methods. Methods Baseline assessments were collected from 5,746 students at 20 schools. Of these, 429 were selected by adults as peer leaders who delivered intervention content through the school year. We created theoretical alternate peer leader sets based on social network characteristics: opinion leadership, centrality metrics, and key players. Because these sets were theoretical, we examined the concordance of these sets with the actual adult-selected peer leaders sets and correlated this metric with diffusion of intervention modalities (i.e., presentation, media, communication, activity) after the first year. Results The sets of adult-selected peer leaders were 13.3%—22.7% similar to theoretical sets chosen by other sociometric methods. The use of friendship network metrics produced peer leader sets that were more white and younger than the general student population; the Key Players method produced more representative peer leader sets. Peer opinion leaders were older and more white than the general population. Schools whose selected peer leaders had higher overlap with theoretical ones had greater diffusion of intervention media and peer communication. Conclusions The use of network information in school-based peer-led interventions can help create more systematized peer leader selection processes. To reach at-risk students, delivery of an indirect message, such as through a poster or video, may be required. A hybrid approach where a combination of visible, respected opinion leaders, along with strategically-placed key players within the network, may provide the greatest potential for intervention diffusion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T08:23:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-35d8c4cceaab4bc9946eec73999af92e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T08:23:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-35d8c4cceaab4bc9946eec73999af92e2022-12-22T00:31:20ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582022-05-0122111310.1186/s12889-022-13372-wA comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive interventionTrevor A. Pickering0Peter A. Wyman1Thomas W. Valente2Department of Population & Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern CaliforniaDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of RochesterDepartment of Population & Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern CaliforniaAbstract Background Peer-led interventions for adolescents are effective at accelerating behavioral change. The Sources of Strength suicide preventive program trains student peer change agents (peer leaders) in secondary schools to deliver prevention messaging and conduct activities that increase mental health coping mechanisms. The program currently has school staff select peer leaders. This study examined potential for more efficient program diffusion if peer leaders had been chosen under network-informed selection methods. Methods Baseline assessments were collected from 5,746 students at 20 schools. Of these, 429 were selected by adults as peer leaders who delivered intervention content through the school year. We created theoretical alternate peer leader sets based on social network characteristics: opinion leadership, centrality metrics, and key players. Because these sets were theoretical, we examined the concordance of these sets with the actual adult-selected peer leaders sets and correlated this metric with diffusion of intervention modalities (i.e., presentation, media, communication, activity) after the first year. Results The sets of adult-selected peer leaders were 13.3%—22.7% similar to theoretical sets chosen by other sociometric methods. The use of friendship network metrics produced peer leader sets that were more white and younger than the general student population; the Key Players method produced more representative peer leader sets. Peer opinion leaders were older and more white than the general population. Schools whose selected peer leaders had higher overlap with theoretical ones had greater diffusion of intervention media and peer communication. Conclusions The use of network information in school-based peer-led interventions can help create more systematized peer leader selection processes. To reach at-risk students, delivery of an indirect message, such as through a poster or video, may be required. A hybrid approach where a combination of visible, respected opinion leaders, along with strategically-placed key players within the network, may provide the greatest potential for intervention diffusion.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13372-wPeer leadersSocial networksDiffusion of innovationsSocial connectednessSchool interventionPeer messaging |
| spellingShingle | Trevor A. Pickering Peter A. Wyman Thomas W. Valente A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention BMC Public Health Peer leaders Social networks Diffusion of innovations Social connectedness School intervention Peer messaging |
| title | A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention |
| title_full | A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention |
| title_fullStr | A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention |
| title_full_unstemmed | A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention |
| title_short | A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention |
| title_sort | comparison of peer change agent selection methods evidence from a high school based suicide preventive intervention |
| topic | Peer leaders Social networks Diffusion of innovations Social connectedness School intervention Peer messaging |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13372-w |
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