Abstract
BACKGROUND: The benefits of peer support interventions (PSIs) for individuals with mental illness are not well known. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of PSIs for individuals with mental illness for clinical, personal, and functional recovery outcomes. METHODS: Searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO (December 18, 2020). Included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing peer-delivered PSIs to control conditions. The quality of records was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool. Data were pooled for each outcome, using random-effects models. RESULTS: After screening 3455 records, 30 RCTs were included in the systematic review and 28 were meta-analyzed (4152 individuals). Compared to control conditions, peer support was associated with small but significant post-test effect sizes for clinical recovery, g = 0.19, 95% CI (0.11-0.27), I2 = 10%, 95% CI (0-44), and personal recovery, g = 0.15, 95% CI (0.04-0.27), I2 = 43%, 95% CI (1-67), but not for functional recovery, g = 0.08, 95% CI (-0.02 to 0.18), I2 = 36%, 95% CI (0-61). Our findings should be considered with caution due to the modest quality of the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: PSIs may be effective for the clinical and personal recovery of mental illness. Effects are modest, though consistent, suggesting potential efficacy for PSI across a wide range of mental disorders and intervention types.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5332-5341 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Psychological Medicine |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2023 |
Funding
Smit, MSc is funded by a PhD Studentship of Pro Persona mental health care, which is partly funded by ZonMw, the Dutch organization for health research and health innovation. Research reported in this publication was supported by the Dutch Depression Association, who received funding from Janssen-Cilag to conduct this project. The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review or approval of the manuscript and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. No other disclosures were reported.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Dutch Depression Association | |
| Cilag | |
| ZonMw |
Keywords
- Clinical recovery
- depression
- functional recovery
- mental illness
- meta-analysis
- peer support interventions
- personal recovery
- serious mental illness
- systematic review