Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study
Background: When experiencing mental distress, many university students seek support from their peers. In schools and mental health services, formalised peer support interventions have demonstrated some success but implementation challenges have been reported. This study aimed to assess the feasibil...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2022-12-01
|
| Series: | SSM - Mental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322001153 |
| _version_ | 1797975825088249856 |
|---|---|
| author | T.G. Osborn R. Town R. Ellis J.E.J. Buckman R. Saunders P. Fonagy |
| author_facet | T.G. Osborn R. Town R. Ellis J.E.J. Buckman R. Saunders P. Fonagy |
| author_sort | T.G. Osborn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: When experiencing mental distress, many university students seek support from their peers. In schools and mental health services, formalised peer support interventions have demonstrated some success but implementation challenges have been reported. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability and safety of a novel manualized peer support intervention and associated data collection processes. Methods: A longitudinal mixed methods study was conducted following the pilot of a peer support intervention at a large London university between June 2021 and May 2022. The study utilised data routinely recorded on all students who booked a peer support session, focus groups with nine peer workers and five staff members implementing the intervention, pre-post intervention surveys with 13 students and qualitative interviews with 10 of those students. Results: 169 bookings were made during the pilot, of which 130 (77%) were attended, with November the peak month. Staff and peer workers described strong motivation and commitment to implement the intervention, noting that the peer support model and peer worker role addressed previously unmet needs at the university. However, students described implementation problems relating to the coherence of the intervention and the burden of participation. While students mostly described acceptable experiences, there were examples where acceptability was lower. No adverse events were reported during the pilot. Conclusion: The training and supervision of peer workers, and the provision of one-to-one peer support to students was found to be feasible, mostly acceptable, and safe. However, sustained implementation difficulties were observed. These pose challenges to the scalability of peer support in universities. We make recommendations to improve implementation of peer support including improving reach, greater clarity about the intervention, and fuller involvement of students throughout. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:41:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b6a56930a3844dbdab2e2459dd731e56 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-5603 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:41:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM - Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-b6a56930a3844dbdab2e2459dd731e562022-12-28T04:20:14ZengElsevierSSM - Mental Health2666-56032022-12-012100175Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility studyT.G. Osborn0R. Town1R. Ellis2J.E.J. Buckman3R. Saunders4P. Fonagy5Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK; Corresponding author.Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK; Evidence Based Practice Unit, 4-8 Rodney Street, University College London, London, N1 9JH, UKDivision of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK; PsychUP for Wellbeing, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UKCentre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK; iCope – Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust, St Pancras Hospital, London, NW1 0PE, UK; UCL University Clinic, Research Department of Clinical Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UKCentre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UKDivision of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UKBackground: When experiencing mental distress, many university students seek support from their peers. In schools and mental health services, formalised peer support interventions have demonstrated some success but implementation challenges have been reported. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability and safety of a novel manualized peer support intervention and associated data collection processes. Methods: A longitudinal mixed methods study was conducted following the pilot of a peer support intervention at a large London university between June 2021 and May 2022. The study utilised data routinely recorded on all students who booked a peer support session, focus groups with nine peer workers and five staff members implementing the intervention, pre-post intervention surveys with 13 students and qualitative interviews with 10 of those students. Results: 169 bookings were made during the pilot, of which 130 (77%) were attended, with November the peak month. Staff and peer workers described strong motivation and commitment to implement the intervention, noting that the peer support model and peer worker role addressed previously unmet needs at the university. However, students described implementation problems relating to the coherence of the intervention and the burden of participation. While students mostly described acceptable experiences, there were examples where acceptability was lower. No adverse events were reported during the pilot. Conclusion: The training and supervision of peer workers, and the provision of one-to-one peer support to students was found to be feasible, mostly acceptable, and safe. However, sustained implementation difficulties were observed. These pose challenges to the scalability of peer support in universities. We make recommendations to improve implementation of peer support including improving reach, greater clarity about the intervention, and fuller involvement of students throughout.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322001153Peer workStudent mental healthFeasibilityAcceptabilitySafetyImplementation |
| spellingShingle | T.G. Osborn R. Town R. Ellis J.E.J. Buckman R. Saunders P. Fonagy Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study SSM - Mental Health Peer work Student mental health Feasibility Acceptability Safety Implementation |
| title | Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study |
| title_full | Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study |
| title_fullStr | Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study |
| title_short | Implementing peer support in higher education: A feasibility study |
| title_sort | implementing peer support in higher education a feasibility study |
| topic | Peer work Student mental health Feasibility Acceptability Safety Implementation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322001153 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tgosborn implementingpeersupportinhighereducationafeasibilitystudy AT rtown implementingpeersupportinhighereducationafeasibilitystudy AT rellis implementingpeersupportinhighereducationafeasibilitystudy AT jejbuckman implementingpeersupportinhighereducationafeasibilitystudy AT rsaunders implementingpeersupportinhighereducationafeasibilitystudy AT pfonagy implementingpeersupportinhighereducationafeasibilitystudy |