Table 2 Summary of key characteristics of peer support interventions in included studies (n = 6)
Author; Year | Description of peer support intervention | Delivery setting | Session duration; Frequency; Program length | Administrator(s); Training or certification of administrator(s) | Underlying theories or theoretical frameworks | Type of support provided (i.e., emotional, informational, and/or appraisal) | Main findings on CI and/or QoL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aben et al.; 2013 [30] | Peer support group in which general education on causes and consequences of stroke was provided; patients were invited to share problems experienced in their daily lives | Rehabilitation centre; Group | 1 h; Twice per week; 4.5 weeks | Psychologist;Not specified | Not specified | Informational | No significant results for QoL utility score (p = 0.459), QoL VAS (p = 0.307), psychological QoL (p = 0.089), or social-related QoL (p = 0.200) |
Aben et al.; 2014a [31] | Peer support group in which general education on causes and consequences of stroke was provided; patients were invited to share problems experienced in their daily lives | Rehabilitation centre; Group | 1 h; Twice per week; 4.5 weeks | Psychologist; Not specified | Not specified | Informational | Psychological QoL improved significantly (p = 0.030) for patients under 65 years old in a Memory Self-efficacy training program compared to the PSI; no significant results for QoL VAS (p = 0.549), social-related QoL (p = 0.174), or psychological QoL for all participants (p = 0.077) |
Cadilhac et al.; 2011 [29] | Stroke-specific Self-Management Program; differs from the self-management program developed by Stanford University since it only includes stroke survivors, has greater contact time, is only delivered by health professionals and peer leaders skilled in stroke and trained by the National Stroke Foundation, provides targeted stroke-specific information each week, and revisits information provided in other weeks to ensure retention of learning and skills | Hospital; Group | 2.5 h; Once per week; 8 weeks | Peer leaders and health professionals (i.e., stroke educators); Training program run by the National Stroke Foundation Program Manager | Not specified | Emotional, informational, appraisal | No significant differences observed between groups; large effect sizes |
Hanks et al.; 2012 [33] | Mentoring sessions with discussions focusing on emotional well-being, post-TBI QoL, and CI; mentors helped mentees gain access to community resources and discussed TBI- or caregiving-related topics through phone calls, emails, or in-person meetings | Community; Individual | Ranged from 5 min to more than 1 h; Minimum of once per week for the first month, twice per week for the next 2–3 months, and once per month for the remainder of the year; 1 year | Peer mentors; Mentors participated in 20 h of training, including modelling interviewing skills with a supervisor and fellow trainees, telephone role playing, discussion of what is and what is not mentoring, and communication skills and active listening; mentors were also evaluated on social competency, willingness to talk openly about disability and life experiences, motivation, and commitment to participation by training staff | Supported-employment model; mentors were hired as contingent employees and involved in weekly in-person supervision from a psychologist, nurse, and community outreach coordinator | Informational, emotional | Health-related QoL improved significantly (p = 0.04) for TBI patients in the PSI, compared to the non-mentored control group; no significant results for CI (p = 0.35) |
Stamatakis; 2015 [32] | Peer support sessions during which participants identified topics related to post-stroke rehabilitation that they wanted to focus on; topics identified were common psychosocial difficulties and practical considerations and were often discussed in more than 1 session | Day hospital; Group | 1.5–2 h; Once per week; 5 weeks | Peer supporters and clinicians; Peer supporters attended a 3-h training session facilitated by the author and study supervisor alongside clinicians in the local service, consisting of information about the proposed group, theoretical knowledge/rationale (about stroke and peer support as a model), and group facilitation skills, involving a combination of teaching, working in pairs, observation, and role-play | Not specified | Emotional, informational, and appraisal | QoL improved significantly (p = 0.003) for patients in the PSI; no significant results for CI (p > 0.05) |
Struchen et al.; 2011 [34] | Social peer mentoring program for improving social integration; goal of outings was to foster increased social networking for the peer partner through introductions to people, activities, and resources within the peer partner’s own community; phone calls and emails could be used to supplement required in-person meetings | Community; Individual | Not specified; Twice per month (minimum; not always met); 3 months | Social peer mentors; Initial training was led by a neuropsychologist and a consumer representative with TBI who was part of the research team; conducted in 2-h group sessions including didactic presentation, discussion, and role-play of specific skill-building activities to ensure an understanding of the mentor role, introduce and practice specific content for the facilitation of skill building by the peer partner, review safety issues and how to handle crisis situations, and understand documentation responsibilities | Not specified | Emotional, informational, and appraisal | No significant results on CI; mean community participation scores increased from 68.5 to 79.8 after the PSI; scores on the majority (83%) of Social Activity Interview items increased after the PSI, including Satisfaction with social life for past month (p = 0.08); scores on all Weekly Social Activity Survey items increased after the PSI |