Understanding the use of peers for mental health care: A meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence

Objective: We aim to synthesize evidence of facilitators and barriers pertaining to implementation of peer led interventions for mental health. Methods: In November 2017, we conducted an electronic search of two academic databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and PubMed. A comprehensive search strategy comprising of search terms including ‘peer’, ‘volunteer’, ‘Mental Health’, and ‘Qualitative Study’ was utilized to search these databases. Results: A total of six studies were included in this review. We have identified 22 first order constructs in the selected studies. These are all responses of the respondents in each individual study. Key constructs are recruitment and training, supervision, role of Peer Support Workers (PSWs), motivation, challenges and barriers. Second order constructs are researchers’ interpretations of included studies. Conclusions: We identified 26 second order constructs. These constructs are very similar to first order constructs and grouped under similar themes that were used for first order constructs. Additional constructs included insufficient training, uniformity of training, terms and conditions for PSWs.

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