Peer support for traumatic injury survivors: a scoping review

Abstract

Purpose

Peers are uniquely able to draw on their lived experiences to support trauma survivors’ recovery. By understanding the functions and outcomes of peer support and the factors that impact implementation, evidence can be mobilized to enhance its application and uptake into standard practice. As such, we aimed to review the literature on peer support for trauma survivors to: examine the role of peer support in recovery; describe the nature and extent of peer support; Examine the influence of peer support on health and well-being; and identify the barriers and facilitators to developing and implementing peer support.

Methods

Scoping review methodology as outlined by Arksey and O’Malley.

Results

Ninety-three articles were reviewed. Peer support was highlighted as an important component of care for trauma survivors and provided hope and guidance for the future post-injury. Most peer support programs were offered in the community and provided one-on-one support from peer mentors using various modalities. Interventions were successful when they involved knowledgeable peer mentors and maintained participant engagement. Prior negative experiences and stigma/privacy concerns deterred trauma survivors from participating.

Conclusions

Peer support fulfills several functions throughout trauma survivors’ recovery that may not otherwise be met within existing health care systems.

Implications for rehabilitation

• By understanding the functions and outcomes and the factors that impact implementation of peer support, evidence can be mobilized to enhance its application and uptake into standard practice.

• Peers provide trauma survivors with socioemotional support as well as assistance in daily management and life navigation post-injury.

• Peer support provided hope and guidance for the future after injury and improved self-efficacy amongst trauma survivors.

• Peer support programs are most likely to be successful when they involve knowledgeable peer mentors, are flexibly delivered, align with organizations’ values and priorities, and have adequate resources and funding to support their implementation.

Keywords:

• Scoping review
• peer support
• trauma
• injuries
• interventions
• implementation science

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge Mr. Henry Lam—academic librarian at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre—for his assistance with crafting and deploying the literature search strategy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

We also wish to acknowledge funding support from the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Education Scholarship and Research Grant program.