This study assessed the utility of the theory of planned behavior components [attitude (A), subjective norm (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC)] in predicting patients’ willingness to work with a peer supporter for medication management, determined if prior experience (PE) with peer support adds to the prediction of willingness, assessed the importance of peer supporter characteristics, and explored patients’ communication preferences. This study also explored medication outcomes important to patients. A 72-item survey was administered to 130 adult patients with diabetes, hypertension, and/or hyperlipidemia. Willingness was measured with a 7-point scale (1-very unwilling to 7-very willing). A (6 items), SN (6 items), and PBC (4 items), were measured with 7-point scales [−3 (e.g., very unlikely) to +3 (e.g., very likely)]. Variable relationships were examined using multiple regression analysis. A plurality of respondents were white (45.3%) and most were female (56.2%). Their mean age was 58.6±11.5 years. Overall, respondents indicated a moderate willingness level (mean=4.76±1.65). A (β = 0.341, P < 0.001), SN (β=0.168, P=0.122), PBC (β=-0.043, P=0.692), and PE (β=0.290, P<0.001), together with age and ethnicity, accounted for 35.8 percent of the variance in willingness (F=9.041, df=8,109, P<0.001). The most important peer supporter characteristic was having experiential knowledge (mean=4.20±0.94; range: 1-very unimportant to 5-very important). Most preferred to communicate by telephone (82.3%) and at a frequency of once a month (34.4%). The most important outcome was preventing future health problems (mean=4.63±0.83; range: 1-very unimportant to 5-very important). Among patients who reported hypertension and hyperlipidemia as most bothersome, “clinical values” was the most endorsed method of judging/deciding control. Among patients who reported diabetes as most bothersome, “how my body responds” was the most endorsed method. A and PE were significant predictors of willingness, and PE significantly increased the explanatory power of the regression model. Peer support programs should focus on informing patients of the value of working with a peer supporter in order to positively modify their beliefs and attitudes. Several findings can be used to tailor peer support programs, including selecting peer supporters who have experiential knowledge, providing telephone-based communication options, and assessing outcomes most important to patients. / text

Bullying among school children is a social phenomenon that is now recognised as a widespread and serious problem across the globe. While decades of research have generated valuable insights as regards prevalence, main correlates and detrimental health consequences, many questions and gaps remain. For instance, it is unclear why the great majority of peer bystanders not intervene to support victims in a bullying conflict despite holding anti-bullying beliefs. Furthermore, great efforts have been made in the area of peer support and anti-bullying initiatives however there is still no intervention that has shown to be effective long term and cross-culturally. This thesis consists of two empirical studies. To advance knowledge of factors that influence pupils' victim support behaviour, the first study examined the role of perceived friend and peer consequences in predicting intentions to three types of help: provide emotional support, help to stop the bully and get adult support. Structural equation modelling revealed that perceived friend consequences were significantly associated with each of the victim support behaviours studied. Additionally, perceived peer reactions predicted intentions to get adult help. These findings suggest that friends play a more important role than peers in affecting victim support. Some significant gender effects emerged, showing that the overall pattern of associations held for boys, but not for girls. The findings highlight the concerns children hold with regard to their (dis)approving views related to victim support. Outcomes further suggest that victim defending should not be regarded as a broad homogeneous construct. The second study assessed the effectiveness of a cross-age teaching of social issues intervention (CATS) on enhancing pupils' knowledge on three victim support behaviours, and their awareness of the value of helping. In small cooperative groups older pupils were invited to step into the tutor role to prepare a lesson and teach it to two years younger tutees. An experimental-control group design was employed to test participants' performance at three time points over a six to eight week period. CATS tutors significantly improved their knowledge and awareness of the provictim behaviours studied while no positive changes were evident for participants in the control group. Furthermore, children who participated in the project expressed high satisfaction with the intervention. Based on the positive findings it was concluded that CATS is a viable technique for enhancing pupils' knowledge and awareness on prosocial topics. Helping children to see the value of supporting victims of bullying, in any of the ways studied, could help them avoid anticipating negative reactions from friends and peers, and in turn make it more likely that they would choose to help if the need arose.

The purpose of this study was to better understand the self-care practices of female peer support specialists (PSS) with co-occurring mood and substance use disorders. The researcher took a qualitative grounded theory approach conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten women employed at peer-run agencies in Maricopa County, Arizona. Data from these interviews were transcribed, then analyzed manually, as well as with NVivo 10.0 software, to identify the key terms, nodes, categories and emergent themes of the participants' experiences. Self-care practices of peer support specialists included accessing personal and professional support networks; maintaining a daily routine to balance the demands of recovery, parenting, and working; taking medications; sleeping; practicing spirituality; participating in service work; eating nutritiously; exercising, and building a sense of coherence. Although a variety of practices were being used and identified as helpful, spirituality was identified as the most important self-care practice to achieve overall wellness. Employment improved the ability for PSSs to practice self-care because they valued the support of their supervisors and coworkers, were reminded of the consequences of not practicing self-care by working with individuals who were unstable, gained knowledge from teaching others, found healing in telling their stories, and reported higher self-esteems from working and helping others. However, participants did identify ways that employment as a PSS could interfere with practicing self-care, such as staff turnover, limited access to supervisors, or being unprepared to work in the field. Several recommendations were suggested as a result of this study, such as the importance of understanding and using effective self-care practices, building personal and professional support networks, and establishing daily routines to balance recovery with personal and professional demands.

This study was born out of the Telephone Peer Support Group Program for Women with Spinal Cord Injury Living in Small Communities and Rural Areas in Ontario, funded by the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. It represents the final chapter in the evaluation process of this innovative and participatory program, which produced positive results for a majority of women who took part in it. A phenomenological approach according to Moustakas was used to deepen the understanding and describe the participants’ experience of the program. The seven women who took part in the program contributed their narratives. Emotional support and learning were the main structures of the experience as reported by the women. The program was a space where participants gave and received emotional support through sharing, connecting and exchange. Participants who differed from the majority in the group because of the nature of their injury did not benefit as much from the program. For true peers, the program was a space of “real understanding” and learning in which participants’ perceptions of self were shaped and new identities found, where loneliness was replaced with the feeling of belonging and “not being alone”. It was the space where the bodily aspects of SCI and the socially constructed roles of women were examined, where solutions for health and lifestyle issues were discussed and embraced, and where relationships with others developed into the positive interactions of informed and empowered individuals. The women with SCI attributed changes in their attitudes and behaviours to participation in this program. Reported changes ranged from increased knowledge about a proactive and healthy lifestyle, to completed annual medical check-ups, changed pain treatment, changed dietary and exercise regimes, to the establishment of a web-site with information about a healthy and proactive life for women with SCI. For the majority of participants in this program, it was an enriching and life changing experience which has a huge potential for reaching isolated women with SCI. For service providers, the program was an opportunity to provide services to underserved populations, impacting their quality of life by using cheap and accessible technology. For participatory researchers it was a rewarding experience of seeing immediate benefits reported by satisfied research participants. / Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-08 02:45:25.455

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Abstract This pilot study examined the efficacy of Peer Support Australia’s anti-bullying module for primary schools’. A quantitative questionnaire was used to survey 77 students from two primary schools (mean age 10.1 years) in the greater Sydney, Australia area. One school implemented the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, (intervention school) the other school did not (non-intervention school). Students completed a survey containing questions relating to bullying behaviours in their school. This questionnaire was developed from Peer Relations Assessment Questionnaire Students (PRAQ) devised by Rigby and Slee (1993). This study has provided further evidence to suggest intervention programs are effective in reducing bullying behaviours. It has quantified the assumptions made regarding the efficacy of Speaking Up as a module which reduces bullying behaviours which was the principal purpose of this study. The current study into the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, provided further evidence for the following: • students developed friendships across the year groups; • students were more inclusive of others; • students developed the skills to support target students; and • students developed the skills to report bullying behaviours. The anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, was shown to: • reduce the incidence of bullying behaviours; • change attitudes towards bullying behaviours in the culture of the school; • provide greater awareness of the different types of bullying behaviours; • provide support for the longer term benefits of the intervention program. Peer Support Australia’s primary schools anti-bullying module, Speaking Up, is an effective intervention strategy supporting students to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to make a positive contribution to the creation and maintenance of a safe school environment by reducing bullying behaviours. The findings of the current study make a contribution to research already undertaken in this area.

Yes / Poor perinatal mental health, in particular depression, affects at least 10% of new mothers in the UK. Current best practice recommends the use of talking therapies or medication, however, many women choose not to use medication or are deterred from accessing NHS services for example due to immigration status. Those who can access NHS treatment often face a long waiting list to see a clinician or therapist. Untreated perinatal depression impacts on the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies, consequently it is essential that alternative psychosocial interventions delivered by non-clinicians are considered. A systematic review was conducted on seven quantitative studies examining the effect of psychosocial interventions in reducing maternal symptoms of depression. Interventions focused either on physical activity or peer support, measuring depression scores on a validated screening tool. The review concludes that antenatal group peer support may benefit women in the antenatal period and that postnatal peer telephone support may be helpful for primiparous women but further large scale research is required.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilken betydelse verksamheten Pink Gloves Boxing haft för enskilda deltagares psykosociala livssituation, som öppenvårdsinsats i Borlänge kommun. Dessutom har syftet varit att undersöka vilka komponenter i verksamheten som bidragit till en eventuell förändring avseende psykosocial livssituation. Då studien ämnat fånga deltagares subjektiva upplevelser av Pink Gloves Boxing har det empiriska materialet insamlats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex deltagare. Genom en tematisk analys av det insamlade materialet framkom centrala teman och subteman, vilka utgjort grunden i studiens resultatdel. För att analysera resultatet har en teoretisk tolkningsram tillämpats, vilken innefattat teorier om empowerment och genus. Samtliga informanter pekar på bättre fysik och ökad psykisk hälsa, av sitt deltagande i verksamheten. Stresshantering, aggressionskontroll och grupptillhörighet är exempel på förtjänster av ett deltagande, som informanterna framhållit. Gynnande komponenter som framträder i verksamheten är tränarnas roll, gruppen, träningsformen och verksamhetens upplägg, som exempelvis endast kvinnliga deltagare och gruppsamtal. / The aim of this study has been to examine what importance the Pink Gloves Boxing club has had for individual participant’s life situation with regards to psychosocial health, as a contribution to social work in Borlänge county. Furthermore, the aim has been to examine which parts of Pink Gloves Boxing have contributed to a possible change in the participants’ psychosocial life situation. Because of the aim to catch participants’ subjective experience of Pink Gloves Boxing, the material has been collected through semi-structured interviews with six participants. Through a thematic analysis of the material we found central themes and subthemes, which have formed the basis of the outcome. To analyze the result we have applied theories of empowerment and gender. All of the informants speak of better physique and increased mental health through their participation in Pink Gloves Boxing. Developed capacity of how to handle stress, aggression control and group affiliation are examples of the virtues of participation, as emphasized by informants. Positive components that emerged are the role of trainers, the cohesion of the group, the form of the exercise and the club’s arrangements, such as only female participants and group discussions.

The master thesis System of peer support at the Police of the Czech Republic deals with peer support as a kind of social support for the security corps. The thesis summarizes the foreign practice (especially the USA) and the European guideline recommendations for the successful introduction of peer support in the organization. It also describes current Czech practice and offers its comparison with foreign practice. The research was conducted through semi- structured interviews with nine peer support providers in the Central Bohemia Region. Analysis of the interviews brought findings on the current state of collegiate support, barriers and other recommendations for the successful development of peer support within the police force. Keywords: peer support, social support, police

Racial discrimination has been linked to depressive symptoms (Pascoe & Richman, 2009), but only a few studies have explored this relationship longitudinally. This study examines the possible moderating role of faculty and peer support on the discrimination-depression relationship amongst 180 ethnic minority college freshmen. Results of the hierarchical regression indicate that racial discrimination, β = .13, p < .05, in the first semester of freshman year significantly predicted depressive symptoms in the second semester of freshman year. No interactions were found between discrimination and peer support (β = .06, p > .05), or between discrimination and two forms of faculty support (faculty interactions, β = .05, p > .05, and faculty concern, β = -.10, p > .05). Thus, unlike predicted, peer and faculty support did not serve as protective factors against discrimination-related stress. Future studies should investigate which types of coping most benefit ethnic minority freshmen.