Abstract
Peer recovery services are a community-based treatment option for people suffering from mental illness and/or substance use problems. Peer services provide an alternative to inpatient care and can help decrease costs associated with hospitalization or incarceration of the mentally ill. Yet, scant research has explored the effect of these services, particularly in rural communities. The current study assesses the impact of peer services on peer mentees’ and mentors’ recovery capital, quality of life, and general wellness. Consumers of peer services completed three surveys every three months for approximately 18 months. Quantitative analyses demonstrated that subjects had a marginal change in their recovery capital, but quality of life and general wellness were unaffected. Peer providers’ experiences were also explored through interviews. Qualitative analyses revealed that providers have a positive outlook regarding peer services but would benefit from greater resources and additional training. Policy and community implications are also discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahmed, A. O., Hunter, K. M., Mabe, A. P., Tucker, S. J., & Buckley, P. F. (2015). The professional experiences of peer specialists in the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network. Community Mental Health Journal,51(4), 424–436.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology,3(2), 77–101.
Brink, P. (1991). Issues of reliability and validity. In J. M. Morse (Ed.), Qualitative nursing research: A contemporary dialogue (pp. 164–186). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Brown, L. D., & Townley, G. (2015). Determinants of engagement in mental health consumer-run organizations. Psychiatric Services,66(4), 411–417.
Brown, S. L., Nesse, R. M., Vinokur, A. D., & Smith, D. M. (2003). Providing social support maybe more beneficial than receiving it: Results from a prospective study of morality. Psychological Science,14(4), 320–327.
Chaimowitz, G. (2011). The criminalization of people with mental illness. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,57(2), 1–6.
Chinman, M., Kloos, B., O’Connell, M., & Davidson, L. (2002). Service providers’ views of psychiatric mutual support groups. Journal of Community Psychology,30(4), 349–366.
Cloud, W., & Granfield, R. (2008). Conceptualizing recovery capital: Expansions of a theoretical construct. Substance Use & Misuse,43(12–13), 1971–1986.
Davidson, L., Chinman, M., Sells, D., & Rowe, M. (2006). Peer support among adults with serious mental illness: A report from the field. Schizophrenia Bulletin,32(1), 443–450.
Davidson, L., Tondora, J., O’Connell, M. J., Kirk, T., Rockholz, P., & Evans, A. C. (2007). Creating a recovery-oriented system of behavioral health care: Moving from concept to reality. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,31(1), 23–31. https://doi.org/10.2975/31.1.2007.23.31.
Felton, C. J., Stastny, P., Shern, D. L., Blanch, A., Donahue, S. A., Knight, E., et al. (1995). Consumers as peer specialists on intensive case management teams: Impact on client outcomes. Psychiatric Services,46(10), 1037–1044.
Foster, J. H., Peters, T. J., & Marshal, E. J. (2000). Quality of life measures and outcome in alcohol-dependent men and women. Alcohol,22(1), 45–52.
Gidugu, V., Rogers, E. S., Harrington, S., Maru, M., Johnson, G., Cohee, J., et al. (2015). Individual peer support: A qualitative study of mechanisms of its effectiveness. Community Mental Health Journal,51(4), 445–452.
Goldstrom, I. D., Campbell, J., Rogers, J. A., Lambert, D., Blacklow, B., Henderson, M. J., et al. (2006). National estimates for mental health mutual support groups, self-help organizations, and consumer-operated services. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research,33(1), 92–103.
Groshkova, T., Best, D., & White, W. (2013). The assessment of recovery capital: Properties and psychometrics of a measure of addiction recovery strengths. Drug and Alcohol Review,32(2), 187–194.
Halls, J., & Stevens, P. (1991). Rigor in feminist research. Advances in Nursing Science,13(3), 16–29.
Hesse-Biber, S., & Leavy, P. (2006). The practice of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hodges, J. Q., & Hardiman, E. R. (2006). Promoting healthy organizational partnerships and collaboration between consumer-run and community mental health agencies. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services,33(3), 267–278.
Hutchinson, D. S., Anthony, W. A., Ashcraft, L., Johnson, E., Dunn, E. C., Lyass, A., et al. (2006). The personal and vocational impact of training and employing people with psychiatric disabilities as providers. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,29(3), 205–213.
Kemp, V., & Henderson, A. R. (2012). Challenges faced by mental health peer support workers: Peer support from the peer supporter’s point of view. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,35(4), 337–340.
Kennedy, E. M. (1990). Community-based care for the mentally ill: Simple justice. American Psychologist,45(1), 1238–1240.
Laudet, A. B. (2011). The case for considering quality of life in addiction research and clinical practice. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice,6(1), 44–55.
Lewis, S. E., Hopper, K., & Healion, E. (2012). Support and accountability in a consumer-run mental health center. Psychiatric Services,63(1), 61–65.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Long, T., & Johnson, M. (2000). Rigour, reliability and validity in qualitative research. Clinical Effectiveness in Nursing,4, 30–37.
Maxwell, J. A. (1996). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
McDiarmid, D., Rapp, C., & Ratzlaff, S. (2005). Design and initial results from a supported education initiative: The Kansas Consumer as Provider Program. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,29(1), 3–9.
Moran, G., & Russo-Netzer, P. (2016). Understanding universal elements in mental health recovery: A cross-examination of peer providers and a non-clinical sample. Qualitative Health Research,26(2), 273–287.
Mowbray, C. T., Moxley, D. P., & Collins, M. E. (1998). Consumers as mental health providers: First-person accounts of benefits and limitations. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research,25(1), 397–411.
Nestor, P., & Galletly, C. (2008). The employment of consumers in mental health services: Politically correct tokenism or genuinely useful? Australian Psychiatry,16(5), 344–347.
Resnick, S. G., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2008). Integrating peer-provided services: A quasi-experimental study of recovery orientation, confidence, and empowerment. Psychiatric Services,59(1), 1307–1314.
Rivera, J. J., Sullivan, A. M., & Valenti, S. S. (2007). Adding consumer-provider to intensive case management: Does it improve outcome? Psychiatric Services,58(6), 802–809.
Roberts, L. J., Salem, D., Rappaport, J., Toro, P. A., Luke, D. A., & Seidman, E. (1999). Giving and receiving help: Interpersonal transactions in mutual-help meetings and psychosocial adjustment of members. American Journal of Community Psychology,27(6), 841–868.
Robson, C., McCartan, K. (2016). Real world research, 4th ed. Hoboken: Wiley.
Sells, D., Black, R., Davidson, L., & Rowe, M. (2008). Beyond generic support: The incidence and impact of invalidation within peer-based and traditional treatment for clients with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Services,59(11), 1322–1327.
Skevington, S. M., Lotfy, M., & O’Connell, K. A. (2004). The World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A report from the WHOQOL group. Quality of Life Research, 13(2), 299–310.
Sledge, W. H., Lawless, M., Sells, D., Wieland, M., O’Connell, M. J., & Davidson, L. (2011). Effectiveness of peer support in reducing readmissions of persons with multiple psychiatric hospitalizations. Psychiatric Services,62(5), 541–544.
Solomon, P. (2004). Peer support/peer provided services underlying processes, benefits, and critical ingredients. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,27(4), 392–401.
Whitley, R., Strickler, D., & Drake, R. E. (2012). Recovery centers for people with severe mental illness: A survey of programs. Community Mental Health Journal,48(5), 547–556.
World Health Organization. (1996). WHOQOL-BREF: Introduction, administration, scoring and generic version of the assessment. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/76.pdf.
Yanos, P. T., Primavera, L. H., & Knight, E. L. (2001). Consumer-run service participation, recovery of social functioning, and the role of psychological factors. Psychiatric Services,52(4), 493–500.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kowalski, M.A. Mental Health Recovery: The Effectiveness of Peer Services in the Community. Community Ment Health J 56, 568–580 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00514-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00514-5