AUTHOR=Prat Vigué Gemma , Cano Prieto Ivan , del Río Sáez Ruben , Vilanova Masana Rut , Simó Algado Salvador 

TITLE=Training Peer Support Workers in Mental Health Care: A Mixed Methods Study in Central Catalonia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.791724

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.791724

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Introduction
A mental health peer support program was implemented at 2 reference institutions in Central Catalonia. The program culturally and contextually adapted successful international projects by training people with experience of mental health problems and ensuring their employment in multidisciplinary health care teams. This study explore the influence of peer interventions in mental health on the three groups of participants: peer support workers – service users - mental health professionals.
Methods
A mixed observational methods design included pre-, inter- and post-experimental components and a qualitative description of the impact. The triangulation of the qualitative and quantitative findings showed its coherence and facilitated the understanding of the results.
Outcomes and Measures: self-stigma (Self-Stigma Questionnaire); life satisfaction (Scale of Satisfaction with Life); participation in relevant activities (Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey); personal recovery (Scale-revised Recovery Assessment); occupational performance (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure); and attitudes toward mental illness (Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness).
Results
The program showed beneficial effects on peer support workers' (PSW) perceptions of occupational performance, specifically on the ability to find work (p = 0.038), work as a peer support worker (p = 0.016), give the community (p = .011) and satisfaction in the ability to find work (p = .031). The assessment made by the 3 groups of participants was very positive: the PSWs showed an increase in self-esteem and a feeling of usefulness; users of the service described the experience as a source of hope and optimism in their recovery process; and professionals described the program as a positive step in their professional growth.
Discussion
The peer to peer strategy it is a source of hope in the personal recovery process, providing meaning to life for the PSWs while providing an extra source of support to service users in their process of personal recovery. The results offer us lines of improvement for future implementations. PSW's final emphasis has us reflecting on improvements to enhance their own wellness in mental health care services. The findings show the importance of working on life projects and their impact on the recovery process.