Shared Life Experiences Research Articles

‘Listen to our voice!’ using co-creation and art-based methods to explore the welfare and wellbeing of siblings of children with life-limiting conditions

ABSTRACT Sibling of children with a life-limiting condition (LLC) face challenge. Yet there is relatively little research specifically investigating the psychosocial impact on siblings living with a child with an LLC. A qualitative participatory methodology helped explore the experiences of nine siblings, aged 6–16, of children with an LLC: their perception of their wellbeing, coping strategies and needs, in England, UK. Data were gathered through an amalgamation of creative art activity and focus group audiotaped discussion. Three themes were identified; ‘dealing with uncertainty and stress’; ‘coping with being different’, and ‘spill over between home and school’. Despite the adversity, these children experienced, because of caring responsibilities and worry about their sibling with LLC, they demonstrated resilience and maturity. They did, however, experience schooling challenges and found making friends difficult. They felt school could help if teacher awareness was promoted and they had assistance in connecting to peers with shared life experiences.

Safeguarding, uncertainty and new possibilities: an appreciative inquiry into personal adviser’s relational practice with care leavers

Purpose An appreciative inquiry process was collaboratively undertaken with an inner city local authority and personal advisors where systemic social work practice was embedded. The purpose of this study is to explore how systemic social work principles could be integrated into the support of young adults leaving the care system, especially when safeguarding concerns exist. Design/methodology/approach Three fortnightly, reflecting team-style, appreciative inquiry workshops explored the integration into practice of systemic concepts under the themes of safeguarding, uncertainty and new possibilities. Findings Within the contexts of the organisation, other agencies and the relationship, six paired themes emerged: learning and navigating; positioning and risk-taking; and feeling and engaging. Core systemic concepts, such as self-reflexivity and mutual influence, can enable personal advisers to use themselves and their relationship with care leavers as a context for change. Considering responses to risk from different family member positions may support holding greater levels of uncertainty. Seeing resilience as a process rather than a personal attribute enabled personal advisors to think about how they connected with care leavers through shared life experiences, fostering narratives of hopes and dreams where new possibilities abound. Research limitations/implications Appreciative inquiry is generally seen as a defined model for implementing large organisational changes; this study comprised a small sample group, and the model’s application was less defined. Originality/value A gap exists in the extensive care leaver research, addressing safeguarding and working systemically. A conceptual model for practice is offered, with potential utility in developing further systemically informed training and supervision for practitioners. A less structured and more relationally engaged model for appreciative inquiry is presented.

Self-Help for Substance Use Disorder: A Qualitative Exploration of an Exemplary Organization in Türkiye

ABSTRACT Substance use disorders (SUDs) affect the well-being of individuals and their families, reducing their quality of life. This qualitative study examines the experiences of individuals having successfully navigated recovery from SUDs and their family members’ in Türkiye. Utilizing in-depth interviews with 13 participants, it illuminates the multifaceted role of self-help groups employing the 12-step program. The findings reveal that leisure activities, personal responsibility and spiritual needs are pivotal in the recovery journey. This research underscores the importance of shared life experiences in fostering a supportive community facilitating information exchange, personal development, and motivation for change. The role models within these groups amplifies the motivation for transformative change. Additionally, sustained interaction with group members serves as a natural control mechanism, reinforcing the sobriety process. In summary, self-help groups emerge as a vital resource for both individuals in recovery and their families, offering a multi-dimensional support system that aids in this process.

Early-life experience and political leaders’ policy preference: Evidence from China’s Zhiqing officials

By exploiting both the unique institutional setting of the Chinese political system and the quasi-experimental features of a massive nationwide rural rustication movement in China during the 1960–1970s, this paper explores the relationship between leaders’ early-life experiences and their policy preferences. Based on a unique panel data set of 318 regional units from 2003 to 2012, we find that those units are associated with more generous rural welfare programs when governed by zhiqing leaders, who experienced rural rustication during their early adulthood. We further find that this association becomes stronger when leaders spent more time in rustication or rusticated in places that were much worse developmentally than their hometowns. These findings remain consistent after applying various robustness checks and accounting for possible selection biases. We interpret these findings as evidence showing that emotional attachment, cognitive sympathy, deservedness justification and self-efficacy accrued through shared life experiences during the sensitive years of adolescence could have lasting effects in configuring leaders’ late policy preferences when they come into power. Our findings lend support to the argument that a leader’s early-life experience provides useful information to predict this leader’s policy styles.

From Trend to Choices: Cognitive Dissonance and Fast-Fashion Consumption Among Indonesian Influencers

In 2010, Instagram was introduced as a free photo-sharing app for iOS and Android users, providing a unique platform for sharing life experiences through visual content. This study, spanning five months (July-December 2023), explores the rise of fast fashion consumption and influencer trends in Indonesia. It employs the diffusion model proposed by Beaudoin, Moore, and Goldsmith. Analysis of interview data using NVivo highlights a strong link between the fashion industry and influencers. NVivo enables remote collaboration, allowing individuals from different locations to work on shared data files in real-time. The study emphasizes data collection through structured interviews based on an in-depth examination of influencers. Findings reveal that the high-value nature of fast fashion significantly influences Indonesian influencers, driven by the growing popularity of consumer trends and ongoing style improvements in the fashion industry. However, it emphasizes the importance of recognizing that unquestionably following trends can profoundly shape an individual's lifestyle, echoing previous research on the pivotal role of trends in fashion choices. Overall, the research underscores the substantial impact of trends and influencers on Indonesia's fast fashion landscape.

Identifying adaptations for a mindfulness program for Spanish-speaking mothers of children with chronic conditions or disabilities.

Mothers of children with chronic conditions or disabilities have benefited from mindfulness programs, yet culturally relevant mindfulness programs for Spanish-speaking mothers are lacking. We aimed to explore how this population experienced a peer-led mindfulness program to inform adaptations. Sixteen mothers attended a 6-week program and completed semi-structured interviews. Using a realist evaluation framework, we explored relationships between participants' context, the program's mechanisms and outcomes. Our thematic analysis found that four contextual factors-faith, self-concept as a woman and mother, trauma, and level of social support-influenced how participants experienced the mechanisms. Mechanisms included having positive experiences when trying practices, engaging in self-reflection, and sharing life experiences and learning in community. The mechanisms led to four outcomes: emotion regulation, savoring daily life experiences, empowerment to practice self-care and common humanity. Faith was an important enabling factor because participants had positive experiences when integrating their faith with program content. Future research should examine adaptations that invite participants to explore this synergy. Self-reflection should also be emphasized because it increased motivation to use practices and helped address barriers to engagement. Because the four contextual factors apply to many Spanish-speaking immigrants, these adaptations could enhance mindfulness programs for this population more broadly.

Online psychoeducation groups for mental health promotion: Perceptions of Brazilian university students

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to understand the perceptions of university students regarding participation in an online psychoeducation group to promote mental health.MethodThis was a qualitative study that followed two groups over 8 weeks, carried out with 20 nursing students from a Brazilian public university during the COVID‐19 pandemic.ResultsThe online psychoeducation group was considered an efficient strategy for mental health promotion and an important resource for the provision of assistance to this population, especially in the pandemic scenario. The remote environment was considered welcoming and comfortable to share personal issues, and dispensing with commutes eased participation. On the contrary, some participants mentioned a lack of physical contact and difficulties with adherence/attendance, as well as the need for more meetings.Final considerationsFor this population, highly impacted by the pandemic, the online psychoeducation group was configured as a space for sharing life experiences, self‐knowledge and was designed to offer a welcoming environment, contributing to the construction of support networks in a social isolation scenario. It is recommended that these online group interventions continue to be investigated after the pandemic, especially by communicating about strengthening the welcoming actions in higher education.

A Qualitative Study of Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Experiences of Minority Clinicians During Agitation Care in the Emergency Department

Racial and ethnic bias in health care has been documented at structural, organizational, and clinical levels, impacting emergency care, including agitation management in the emergency department (ED). Little is known about the experiences of racial and ethnic minority ED clinicians caring for racial and ethnic minority groups, especially during their agitated state. The objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences of racial and ethnic minority ED clinicians who have treated patients with agitation in the ED. We performed semistructured individual interviews of Black, Latino, and multiracial clinicians who worked at 1 of 3 EDs from an urban quaternary care medical center in the Northeast United States between August 2020 and June 2022. We performed thematic analysis through open coding of initial transcripts and identifying additional codes through sequential iterative rounds of group discussion. Once the codebook was finalized and applied to all transcripts, the team identified key themes and subthemes. Of the 27 participants interviewed, 14 (52%) identified as Black, 9 (33%) identified as Hispanic/Latino, and 4 (15%) identified as multiracial and/or other race and ethnicity. Three primary themes emerged from racial and ethnic minority clinician experiences of managing agitation: witness of perceived bias during clinical interactions with patients of color who bear racialized presumptions of agitation, moral injury and added workload to address perceived biased agitation management practices while facing discrimination in the workplace, and natural advocacy and allyship for agitated patients of color based on a shared identity and life experience. Our study found that through their shared minority status, racial and ethnic minority clinicians had a unique vantage point to observe perceived bias in the management of agitation in minority patients. Although they faced added challenges as racial and ethnic minority clinicians, their allyship offered potential mitigation strategies for addressing disparities in caring for an underserved and historically marginalized patient population.

The vulnerable superhero-a qualitative study investigating how spinal cord injury peer mentors experience their role in Active Rehabilitation training programs.

Qualitative study. To explore how peer mentors with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience their role in Active Rehabilitation programs in Sweden. Community peer-based training programs in Sweden. Twenty active peer mentors were strategically selected and invited to participate. Nine individuals of diverse age, level of SCI and time since injury participated in semi-structured interviews via video link. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. The theme: Being a vulnerable superhero-a balancing act with rewards was based upon five categories: Being a suitable fit for a demanding culture, Offering a shortcut to coping with spinal cord injury life, Feeling rewarded by helping others, Building trust is reciprocal, and Constituting the norm in a temporary community. The peer mentors expressed vulnerability of sharing life experiences, being a role model and building relationships with mentees. The theme emerged from notions of high expectations and demands of the SCI peer mentor role. Being a peer mentor empowered, educated and inspired the peer mentors themselves. Peer mentors were continuously balancing between being open and vulnerable, and being strong and capable. Personality traits were reported as more important aspects of the role than physical skills. The individual mentor-mentee meetings and relationships were considered more important than the actual training sessions. Feeling part of a community and the norm through meeting others in a similar situation was perceived as a reward and motivation for participating as a peer mentor.

How the dyads of heart failure patients and their informal caregivers cope with the disease process: a qualitative synthesis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Heart failure (HF) is a debilitating and progressive condition requiring consistent self-care by patients and their caregivers. Understanding the dyadic coping experience is crucial to inform the development of effective self-care interventions. Existing reviews focused on coping experience of patients or informal caregivers separately, without considering dynamic interaction between patients and caregivers. Purpose This review aimed to synthesize the qualitative studies to understand how patients and their caregivers interact and jointly cope with HF. Methods A systematic literature searching was conducted in nine electronic databases from inception to 11 June 2022. Manual searching of the reference list of relevant articles was also conducted. Articles were eligible if they focused on exploring the dyadic coping experience of HF patient-caregiver dyads aged 18 years or older. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool for qualitative studies was used to assess the methodological quality of included articles. Thematic synthesis was adopted to synthesize the findings. Results Thirty articles were included in the review. Eleven articles were rated as high quality and nineteen as moderate quality. Three analytical themes emerged from the findings: (1) challenges in their changing and shared life experience, (2) conditions shaping dyadic coping experience, and (3) evolving dyadic coping strategies from the illness experience (Figure 1). Patients’ progressive and debilitating disease conditions disrupted the shared lives of the dyads, consequently causing a series of stressors for both to cope with. Dyadic coping of HF is influenced by the interpersonal context (i.e., congruence of illness perception, dyadic relationship and interaction, dyadic coping capabilities) and social context (i.e., professional and informal input). During the coping process, HF dyads utilized constructive or destructive methods of adjusting relationship boundaries, transforming patterns of dyadic coping and regulating emotion in a dyadic context. Besides, the strategies of amplifying positive changes and seeking meaning were critical for dyads to normalize HF in their lives. Conclusion HF imposed multiple stressors on the shared life of the dyads. Under the influence of interpersonal and social context, patients and caregivers co-regulated dyadic coping strategies to respond to dyadic stress, either adaptively or maladaptively. A relationship-focused dyadic approach is needed to optimize the synergy in the dyadic coping process and support dyads to cope with HF.

Credible messenger mentoring to promote the health of youth involved in the juvenile legal system: A narrative review

This narrative review examines the literature on credible messenger mentoring (CMM) as an intervention to promote the health and well-being of youth involved in the juvenile legal system. In the CMM model, individuals with shared life experiences (e.g., from the same neighborhoods or marginalized communities, with former gang or incarceration history) serve as mentors, leveraging their own history of transformation to engage youth involved in the juvenile legal system and promote individual and community change. CMM is an increasingly popular approach for working with youth involved in the juvenile legal system, yet the state of the research on this intervention is unclear. This article provides a narrative review of existing research on CMM to understand what is known, and unknown, about the intervention. Results find an emerging, but incomplete body of evidence supporting the impact of CMM for youth involved in the juvenile legal system, and for adult mentors. Qualitative and observational findings provide stronger support for the model, while quantitative findings provide more mixed evidence, indicating that CMM may be a promising life course health intervention, yet needs more empirical study. Findings from this review underscore the value of integrating community-informed evidence in the evaluation of health interventions. Future research can inform contemporary interest in the CMM approach and guide implementation and measurement standards for optimizing intervention delivery with youth involved in the juvenile legal system.

The YGetIt? Program: A Mobile Application, PEEP, and Digital Comic Intervention to Improve HIV Care Outcomes for Young Adults.

In New York State (NYS), young adults account for the largest number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and struggle to seek and remain in HIV care. Digital interventions and access to peer support have demonstrated positive influences on the HIV care continuum and health outcomes. The New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) developed YGetIt? (YGI) that combines a mobile application, GET!, peer navigation (PEEPs), and a compelling digital comic series, "Tested," to facilitate the timely entry of young people into HIV care, to prevent vulnerable youth from dropping out of care, and to achieve sustained viral load suppression among those in care. This article describes the development and early implementation of the YGI digital intervention. Intervention Design. GET! provided a high level of confidentiality and security, ease of access, and Wi-Fi accessibility. YGI enrolled 113 HIV-positive participants from a clinical setting who were individually randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive access to GET! plus PEEPs (n = 53) or the app alone (n = 60). For recruitment, staff and organization buy-in was essential to the success of the intervention, and building relationships was critical. GET! development was an iterative process. Peer Engagement Educator Professionals (PEEPs) who were tech savvy, representative of the priority population, and had shared life experience with participants were most impactful. Interest in apps declines over time and participants in the APP alone arm were less engaged. GET! is a communication and engagement tool that supports HIV care and may serve as a model for like digital interventions.

LET’S PLAY TOGETHER: INTERGENERATIONAL EDUCATION BY CO-DESIGN ESCAPE GAME WITH OLDER ADULTS

Abstract People always think that the older adults are only suitable for participating in activities and games suitable for older adults, and cannot complete games with young people, such as escape game. However, if we can understand the characteristics and needs of the elderly, we find that the older adults still have mobility and vitality to participate in games with young people. Through the intergenerational learning of university’s students and the older adults, we use design thinking and PDCA as class frameworks, and let two groups can jointly together to design escape game for the older adults. During the planning stage, the survey and interview of older adults, game design training; the practical operation in the implementation stage; the team discussion and correction in the reflection stage; and the sharing with older adults in the re-action stage (celebration). As a result, these processes allow students and older adults to communicate and share life experiences and wisdom. In one hand, students have a better understanding and concerns about older adults, and they find that the older adults also have vitality and enthusiasm; on the other hand, older adults also more understand the life of students, and feel the creativity and investment of students. In other words, both groups have changed their cognition to each other, and discovered the possibility of mutual cooperation and communication.

183 DEVELOPING AND FACILITATING ONLINE INTERGENERATIONAL CAFÉS

Abstract Background Many older people throughout their lives will require nursing care, consequentially most nurses will care for older people during their career. It is important that older people and student nurses are provided with shared learning opportunities so that professional caring partnerships can be nurtured and realised for mutual benefit. Intergenerational projects offer opportunities for intergenerational learning. However, few projects explore student nurse-older person dyads and how these can be integrated within undergraduate pre-registration programmes. This paper describes the development and facilitation of online older person-student nurse intergenerational cafés. Methods The project was managed by a design team comprising senior administration, lecturers in BSc Nursing programmes and a lecturer in Design for Health and Wellbeing. The ‘world café’ concept along with values of enablement and participation underpinned the design. The initiative was planned to align with a year three community care module. Regular online team meetings were held to agree the aims and outcomes for student nurse-older person cohorts, decide recruitment strategies, agree the process and format of facilitation. Older people were recruited through retirement, church, volunteer, social and sporting organisations, media and also using snowballing methods. Results Both student nurse and older person cohorts were offered support on how to access and participate in the café. Participants attended one of three online cafés hosted through Microsoft Teams. Each café followed the same format: 1) Group meeting convened with all participants; 2) Breakout small group ‘table’ discussions with student nurse-older people participants and design team facilitation; 3) The café was reconvened to whole group meeting where feedback was collated to elicit shared learning. Conclusion The initiative proved successful and there is merit in embedding intergenerational cafés into professionally accredited health care programmes. Through sharing life experiences and perspectives, intergenerational barriers can be reduced and new insights developed on person-centred gerontological care.

Ժամանակը և մարդիկ Հովհաննես Երանյանի «Զինադադար» վիպակի գեղարվեստական համակարգում

The article analyzes the novel “The Ceasefire” by modern prose writer Hovhannes Yeranyan. This work realistically depicts some aspects of the cultural life of Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation during the first years of independence (the 1990s) from the point of view of an Armenian student, and especially the situation in the Republic of Armenia. In the first years of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reality of Armenia is revealed through the eyes of the main character Mher Yepremyan, who acts as a narrator, and through direct contact and sharing life experiences with people. With transparent artistic images are presented moral values in everyday morals, distorted human relations, and moral values in cultural life in Moscow, about which is told through recollection, and the real events take place in the newly independent Republic of Armenia and Artsakh. Through the main character, the author presented the artistic environment in the context, especially in a part of the liberated territory of Artsakh, which was known as the Kovsakan period of historical Armenia, some truth, typical aspects of the ceasefire period and the situation in the country.

Fostering social connectedness among adolescents and adults with autism: A qualitative analysis

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States. Common characteristics of ASD are marked deficits in communication and social connectedness. As autistic children approach adolescence, there is a lack of interventions available to them. Mentoring can provide adolescents with a relationship that facilitates social connectedness with another person who has a shared life experience, filling a gap in services. The Autism Mentorship Program (AMP) was designed to provide autistic adolescents a meaningful relationship with an autistic young adult. Via participation in focus groups, mentees (n = 5), mentors (n = 6), and parents of mentees (n = 6) shared their experience of participating in an afterschool, youth mentoring intervention. Themes were developed from an open coding procedure. Results showed that AMP was associated with helping mentees find social connection within their mentoring relationship and among the group of mentees. Mentors also reported mutual benefits in social connectedness. Perceived benefits of the program, including improved academic performance, and suggestions for future programming are reported. AMP appears to be a promising program that provides social benefits for adolescents with ASD who may have few options for this type of support.

Parental Perspectives of Work-Family Conflict and Guilt in Collegiate Athletic Trainers: A Descriptive Qualitative Design.

Work-family guilt has been reported among athletic trainers (ATs) working in the intercollegiate setting; however, it has yet to be fully explored from a descriptive, in-depth perspective. To better understand the experiences of work-family conflict and guilt of intercollegiate ATs who are parents. Descriptive qualitative study. Intercollegiate athletics. Twelve collegiate ATs (females = 6, males = 6) participated in the study. All 12 were married (12 ± 7 years) with an average 2 ± 1 children (range = 1-4). The ATs reported working 51 ± 9 hours per week and spending 11 ± 7 hours per week on household duties or chores. One-on-one interviews were conducted with all participants. An inductive descriptive coding process was used to analyze the data after saturation was met. Peer review and researcher triangulation were completed. Conflict and guilt were discussed as unavoidable given the equally demanding roles of AT and parent. The resulting guilt was bidirectional, as each role is equally important to the AT. The management theme was specifically defined by 3 subthemes: creating a separation between work and parenting roles, the benefits of having a supportive workplace, and the importance of having coworkers and supervisors with shared life experiences. The ATs experienced work-family conflict and feelings of guilt from their parental responsibilities. The guilt described by the ATs was bidirectional, as they placed high value on both their parenting and athletic training roles. Guilt was balanced and managed by reducing the spillover from the parental role into work or work into time at home. By separating roles and having supportive workplace environments, including coworkers and supervisors who had similar life experiences, ATs felt they were better able to meet work and home demands.

Practice What They Preach?: How Pre-Service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Using Culturally Relevant Teaching Practices Aligns with Their Perceptions of Diversity

In this qualitative content analysis, we addressed the following research questions: (a) How do pre-service teachers perceive their self-efficacy in creating and enacting culturally relevant curriculum and a culturally inclusive classroom environment? (b) How do pre-service teachers’ perceptions of race and diversity align with their perceptions of self-efficacy to engage culturally relevant teaching practices? Both participants indicated the importance of the teacher education institution in influencing their self-efficacy in teaching culturally responsive curriculum. Results indicate that participants saw value in building rapport, embracing diversity, and sharing life experiences. Keywords: self-efficacy, pre-service teachers, teacher preparation, culturally responsive teaching

Adding a Seat at the Table: A Case Study of the Provider's Perspective on Integrating Community Health Workers at Provider Practices in California.

Blue Shield of California's Community Health Advocate Program was created to support whole person-health needs by helping individuals of all socio-economic statuses navigate and access community resources, social services, and medical systems. Blue Shield's Health Reimagined team is partnering with medical providers, community resources centers, and community partners to provide intensive person-centered and technology-enabled care to patients, ensuring social needs are met while promoting health equity. A key aspect of the Health Reimagined initiative embeds Community Health Advocates (CHAs) within physician practices serving patients using a payor-agnostic approach, by which Blue Shield aims to increase access to social services and community resources, improve health outcomes, reduce medical costs, and improve overall patient experience. The purpose of this case study is to understand the provider's perspective of embedding a CHA into the care team and the resulting impact on the practice and patients. Blue Shield also sought to identify best practices and barriers of a CHA program within primary and specialty care practices. As part of an ongoing two-year mixed-methods impact evaluation (2019–2021), 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 18 providers and office staff at five primary care and specialty practices where CHAs have been embedded. We also conducted two focus groups with the same five CHAs at different points in time. Several themes emerged from the provider, office staff, and CHA interviews. Provider practices found great value in adding a CHA to their care team as the CHA brings flexibility and continuity to patient care. They also found that having access to a CHA with shared life experiences of the communities they served is a key component to the program's success. Providers and staff reported a new understanding of the social determinants of health that impacts a patient's wellbeing with the embedding of a CHA in the care team. Overall, practitioners expressed high satisfaction with the CHA program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CHAs have been critically important in care, as social needs have increased, and resources have shifted. The CHA program is constantly adapting to address challenges faced by all stakeholders and applying new knowledge to ensure best practices are implemented within the CHA program.

By helping others we help ourselves: insights from peer support workers in substance use recovery

ABSTRACT Objectives Peer support is built upon the premise that shared life experiences benefits both the helper and the receiver. This relationship has been linked to an increase in practical knowledge of addiction and recovery, empowerment, hope, and community connectedness. Much research on peer support is geared toward the effectiveness of the intervention for the consumer. Less is known about the role of this relationship in the recovery of the workers themselves. Method This qualitative study explored the experience of recovery in substance use peer support workers using in-depth semi-structured interviews of 10 individuals who were employed as peer support workers in community-based roles. Thematic analysis was used to investigate the peer workers experience in the dual role of helper and consumer of recovery support. Results While none of the peers interviewed expected to benefit from helping, all reported this experience to be not only meaningful but also to have a positive impact on their recovery. Providing peer support to others strengthened the workers' ability to maintain personal recovery by keeping them connected to communities of support, providing opportunities to be of service, allowing them to pay forward what had been given to them, and a sense of accomplishment in being a part of the recovery of another individual. Discussion This study highlighted that helping others is a benefit to both the recovery of peer support workers and their personal lives, while recognising the need to separate personal recovery efforts from helping.