Abstract
This study evaluated a peer-support program for low-income mothers that is designed to serve the objectives of (1) enhancing the parents’ competence, (2) reducing their stress and tension, and (3) building social support networks for parents. This program involves a service delivery model that is characterized by community-based, social worker- and parent-mentor-led support groups, with informal group support at a later stage. We evaluated whether the program was effective for enhancing the social support, psychological well-being and parenting competence of the users. We also identified the most crucial elements of peer-support services for disadvantaged mothers. In conducting this study, we applied a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods in three phases. For the quantitative study, two groups (service user and control) were examined three times over a 6-month period. For the qualitative study, we constructed a purposeful sample by drawing mothers from the pool of parents who had participated in the program, and conducted focus-group interviews with these mothers at three points, parallel to the quantitative study. The results suggested that the community-based peer-support group program is effective. There is, however, a need to strengthen the models of peer support by better defining the respective roles of the parent participants, the peer counselors and the social workers. More fundamentally, there is a need to clarify the basic philosophy of the program along the continuum of professional/expert-vs. indigenous/peer-led participants. The program also needs to better capture the strengths of peers and mentors in its peer-support group model.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Salvation Army, Hong Kong. The authors would like to thank the organization, the social workers and the parent participants in the study for their valuable contributions.
Author Contributions
S.L.: designed and executed the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper. D.R.: collaborated with the design and execution of the study, analyzed the data and wrote part of the results.
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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Research Ethics
This study involved human participants. The principles and procedures used in the study concerning human research ethics were approved by the Committee on the Use of Human and Animal Subjects in Teaching and Learning, of the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was given by every participant in this study after receiving clearly explained information about the research. There was a statement regarding consent at the beginning of each questionnaire, and only after consent was given did the participants start to answer the questions. A consent form was also signed by every participant in the focus group interviews.
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Hung, S.L., Zhou, D.R. Peer Support Program for Chinese Low Income Mothers: An Evaluation Study and Implications for Practice. J Child Fam Stud 26, 2640–2652 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0763-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0763-z