The experiences of peer leaders in a driving cessation programme

Abstract

Introduction Peer leaders are increasingly involved in health-related programmes due to the perceived benefits that they bring to the group process. This exploratory study examined the experiences of peer leaders in the University of Queensland Driver Retirement Initiative, an educational support group for older people undergoing driving cessation. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five peer leaders (two men, three women, age range: 67–81 years) regarding their role and involvement as a peer leader in the University of Queensland Driver Retirement Initiative programme as well as their positive and negative experiences. Results Inductive thematic analysis revealed three themes: diversity of peer leaders, drawing on personal strengths and experiences, and taking the middle ground. Conclusion This study revealed that peer leaders drew from their diverse range of personal resources and experiences to perform the role of peer leader, using varying approaches to perform the role successfully. The provision of broad guidelines in training allowed individual approaches to be developed and this contributed to a positive experience for peer leaders in the University of Queensland Driver Retirement Initiative. These findings have implications for the development of future peer-led driving cessation programmes and the selection of their peer leaders.