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The Effects of Introducing Peer Support to Young People with a Chronic Illness

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Abstract

Peer support groups have been an increasingly popular way of limiting the adverse effects of life with a chronic illness for adolescents although few groups have been rigorously evaluated. This paper reports the findings of a realistic evaluation of a hospital based peer support program Chronic Illness Peer Support (ChIPS), in Sydney, Australia. We collected qualitative interview and focus group data from four participant groups; new ChIPS members, their parents, older members who had been in ChIPS for two or more years, and ChIPS co-ordinators past and present. Results of qualitative data have been aggregated and organised into three categories; program attendance: getting in and staying in; program outcomes for young people: personal growth and development; and social connection. Questionnaires were also administered to fourteen new ChIPS members but no significant changes in distress or self-esteem were recorded between the beginning and the end of the short study period. The ChIPS Introductory Program fulfilled its aim, entering young people with chronic illness into the peer support program. There was evidence of initial personal growth and development in those young people, with potential for enhanced social connection from ongoing participation in ChIPS activities.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the contribution made to this study by the young people, their parents, and ChIPS co-ordinators past and present who generously donated their time to the conduct of this research. We also acknowledge the support of our colleagues in the Department of Adolescent Medicine at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead—especially Ms Crystal Hampstead who transcribed the focus group recordings, the volunteer ChIPS program assistant Ms Sharne Milgate, and Ms Tina Cunningham for her administrative co-ordination and assistance with data collection. Finally, we would like to thank our generous benefactor, the Ottomin Charitable Foundation, for funding this study. EK was supported by a Marie Bashir Clinical Research Fellowship in Adolescent Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academic Department of Adolescent Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Emily Klineberg & Kate Steinbeck

  2. Department of Adolescent Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Peter Lewis, Susan Towns & Katie Moore

  3. Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Susan Towns

  4. NSW Kids and Families, NSW Health, 73 Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW, 2060, Australia

    Emily Klineberg

  5. The Medical Foundation Chair in Adolescent Medicine, The Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Kate Steinbeck

  6. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia

    Peter Lewis

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  1. Peter Lewis
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  2. Emily Klineberg
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  4. Katie Moore
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  5. Kate Steinbeck
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Correspondence to Peter Lewis.

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Lewis, P., Klineberg, E., Towns, S. et al. The Effects of Introducing Peer Support to Young People with a Chronic Illness. J Child Fam Stud 25, 2541–2553 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0427-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0427-4

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