A new Orygen study has found that peer support interventions to improve mental health outcomes for young people with symptoms of anxiety and depression offer real potential, however few studies have tested their efficacy and there is limited evidence about who they benefit.
A youth mental health peer worker is a young person with lived experience of mental ill-health who has received training to provide support to other young people experiencing mental health issues.
The study, commissioned by the UK-based Wellcome Trust and published in BMC Psychiatry, looked at nine trials involving more than 2000 participants. The trials tested interventions delivered by a peer worker designed to improve symptoms of anxiety or depression in young people.
Only one intervention was specifically designed for young people with anxiety and depression. Two focused on stigma-distress related to any mental disorder, one on first episode psychosis, four on preventing eating disorders, and one on drug misuse. There were also differences in how anxiety and depression outcomes were measured across trials. About half of the studies were conducted in university settings and most were held in high income countries.
Dr Magenta Simmons, who leads Orygen’s youth partnerships in research stream, said depression and anxiety are challenges young people commonly face, and despite the popularity of peer support programs, the amount of research needed to evaluate their efficacy, has not yet been conducted.
“Despite this limited evidence, the research uncovered several important findings about the potential of peer support interventions to improve mental health outcomes.”
“Some studies showed that peer support in a university setting can be helpful in reducing anxiety, improving self-esteem, and increasing social support,” Dr Simmons said.
“The study also found peer support interventions can be delivered safely and effectively online; peer workers can be trained more quickly and easily than other professions, and can help ensure better representation from minority groups in the workforce.
“Peer support interventions are also cost-effective and acceptable to young people.”
Dr Simmons said these findings show us that peer support can work and is an important part of an effective mental health system.
“But, despite rapidly increasing global interest in peer support, we need to make sure enough research is being done to support the peer workforce and the programs they run, including in a more diverse range of settings and geographical locations,” she said.
“To conduct this review, we worked with an international steering group of youth peer workers who clearly recommended we harness the knowledge that already exists in the workforce. Youth peer workers have been doing this work on the ground, and they know what does and doesn’t work.
“We also need to understand what kind of support the young people are getting from peer workers and make sure that it continues to meet their needs.
“Finally, we need to involve young people with lived experience of depression and anxiety, as well as experienced youth peer workers, in designing and testing these programs, so that we can be sure they are meaningful and useful,” Dr Simmons said.