Abstract
Youth aged 16–24 years have the highest prevalence of mental illness in Australia, accounting for 26% of all mental illness. Youth mental health peer support work is a promising avenue of support for this population. However, limited research has examined impacts on those who provide youth mental health peer support work. We aimed to identify the benefits and challenges of working in a youth mental health peer support role. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with seven purposefully sampled peer workers from a national youth mental health organisation in Australia were conducted. The interviews were thematically analysed. Six key themes were identified: (1) personal growth, (2) interpersonal factors, (3) organisational factors, (4) boundaries, (5) role acknowledgement, and (6) challenging situations. Key supportive factors included financial reimbursement, training, support, and role-related flexibility. Identified challenges included lack of role acknowledgement, role-related stress, and boundaries. Operating within a youth mental health peer support role is perceived to have positive impacts on personal growth and interpersonal factors, enhanced through financial reimbursement, supervision, and role-related flexibility. Perspectives on the most effective form of role boundaries were diverse however their importance in addressing challenges was emphasised.
Highlights
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009; 2015) nearly half (45%) of all Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, with around approximately one in nine (11.7%) people experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress
With the increased presence of peer support workers in youth health care settings, there is a need to examine the impact of this model on both peer workers and those they support in youth health services
This study aims to address the identified limitations and gaps in existing literature on youth mental health peer workers, by qualitatively exploring the experiences of young people operating in youth mental health peer support roles
Summary
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009; 2015) nearly half (45%) of all Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, with around approximately one in nine (11.7%) people experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress. Within this population, youth aged 16–24 years have the highest prevalence of mental illness, accounting for 26% of all mental illness [1]. Adult peer support or consumer led services have proliferated because of recognition of the positive impact peer services have for service users and the health system [8,9]. With the increased presence of peer support workers in youth health care settings, there is a need to examine the impact of this model on both peer workers and those they support in youth health services
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