title: Who benefits from peer support in psychiatric institutions?
abstract: This study examines the influence of recovery-oriented peer events on participants' recovery attitudes and explores who benefits most from such events. Changes in participants' recovery attitudes were evaluated (pre, post, follow-up), and compared with changes of control groups. Distributions of recovery-related values in subgroups were analyzed descriptively. The results of non-parametric tests (Friedman) showed participants with significantly higher values in the dimension Recovery is possible directly after the interventions (P = 0.006), but not 6 months later, and not in comparison with members of control groups. On a descriptive level, women, participants with schizophrenia and with two or more episodes of the disorder showed higher recovery-related values compared to men, participants with an affective disorder and only one episode. Within their feedback, organizations and peers express a positive view of peer support, but evidence for a positive impact of the evaluated peer events on recovery attitude is limited.
authors: Medical Informatics and Technology in Hall, UMIT-University for Health Sciences, Tyrol, Austria. rabenschlag.franziska@umit.at
authors: Franziska
authors: F
authors: Rabenschlag
authors: Holger
authors: H
authors: Hoffmann
authors: Antoinette
authors: A
authors: Conca
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Schusterschitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010379:Peer Group; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012944:Social Support; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D016896:Treatment Outcome