“For them and for me”: a qualitative exploration of peer befrienders’ experiences supporting people with aphasia in the SUPERB feasibility trial

Figures & data

Table 1. Befriender and befriendee pseudonyms, characteristics, and visit information.

Befriender pseudonym	Befriender ethnicity and gender	Befriendee pseudonym	Befriendee ethnicity and gender	Number of visits	Visits within a residential care facility?	Befriendee perspective reported in Moss et al. [29]?
Alice	F; White	Macey	F; Black	3	No	No
		Marilyn	F; White	6	No	Yes
Yafeu	M; Black	Ivy	F; Black	6	No	Yes + daughter’s perspective
		Santiago	M; Asian	0	No	No
		Marcellino	M; White	2	No	Daughter’s perspective
Louise	F; White	Max	M; White	2	No	No
		Enid	F; White		No	Husband’s perspective
Zainab	F; Black	Samson	M; Black	6	No	Yes
		Trevor	M; White	6	Yes	Yes
Karen	F; Black	Jill	F; White	6	No	No
		Elizabeth	F; mixed race	6	Yes	Yes + daughter’s perspective
Joyce	F; White	Rose	F; Black	6	No	Yes
		Beryl	F; White	6	Yes	No
Esther	F; Black	Graciela	F; Black	6	No	No
		Benjamin	M; White	6	No	Wife’s perspective
Heather	F; White	David	M; White	6	No	Yes
Andy	M; White	James	M; White	6	No	Yes
		Gordon	M; Black	6	No	No
Mary	F; White	Lisa	F; Black	4 at time of interview (2 subsequent visits conducted)	No	No

F: female, M:male.

Table 2. Baseline characteristics of peer-befrienders.

Baseline characteristics	Peer befrienders in study, n = 10
Age (mean, S.D.)	54.2 years (8.4); range: 42–72
Sex
Female	8
Male	2
Ethnicity
Black	4
White	6
Marital status
Single	3
Married	1
Has partner	5
Divorced	1
Employment
Full-time or part-time paid work	0
Volunteer work	5
Retired prior to stroke	1
Retired because of stroke	1
Unemployed	3
Work prior to stroke
Full-time paid work	7
Part-time paid work	2
Retired prior to stroke	1
Education
Did not finish school	2
Finished school	2
Further education qualification (not university)	4
University degree	2
Able to drive
No	6
Yes	4
Type of stroke
Ischaemic	6
Haemorrhagic	4
Hemisphere of stroke
Left	7
Right	3
Time post onset (mean, S.D.)	10.5 years (5.8); range: 2.8–19.8 years

Table 3. Main themes and subthemes emerging from interviews.

Themes	Subthemes
Content of the sessions	Sharing stroke experiences
	Conversation
	Activities
The befriender-–befriendee relationship	Development of close bonds
	Challenging aspects
	Unsuccessful matches
Negotiating the visits	Negotiating journeys
	Scheduling appointments
	Managing the environment and unexpected incidents
	Managing anxiety
	Emotional reaction to befriendee’s situation
Boundaries and endings
Training and support	Training
	Supervision sessions with peers
	One-to-one support
Impact of the befriending	Impact for befriender
	Impact for befriendee
Beliefs about the nature and value of peer support	Providing a role perceived as valuable
	Using lived experience to share information and support
	Qualities needed in a peer befriender
	Overall evaluation

Moss B, Behn N, Northcott S, et al. "He gave me advice, and hope": a qualitative exploration of outcomes and experiences of the SUPERB peer befriending scheme. Disabil Rehabil.; 2021; submitted for publication.

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