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Multicultural Implementation-experiences of peer support workers in MH Services : qualitative findings of UPSIDES innovative intervention-an international multi-site project
Abstract
PURPOSE: Mental health peer support is growing as an essential recovery-oriented occupation that can help alleviate the burden of mental health (MH) conditions. Despite its international growth, there is lack of cross-cultural knowledge about peer support workers' (PSW) implementation experiences. This study explored PSWs' implementation experiences of Using Peer Support In Developing Empowering Mental Health Services (UPSIDES) innovative intervention-a multi-country project designed to empower and scale-up peer support in low-, middle- and high-income countries (LMIC & HIC). METHOD: Nine focus groups totaling 38 PSWs were conducted at six study sites: Ulm and Hamburg (Germany), Kampala (Uganda), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Be'er Sheva (Israel), and Pune (India). Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative analysis and MAXQDA software. RESULTS: Four domains were identified: (i) PSWs' experiences of recovery; (ii) PSWs' experiences of vocational development; (iii) PSWs' experiences with staff and work-role in MH systems;and (iv) PSWs' strive to influence broader circles. In low-and-middle-income countries specifically, PSWs experienced gains for illness management, access to care, employability and financial standing. They also engaged in active interactions with stakeholders in the community (e.g., relatives, police, etc.) promoting social-educative and anti-stigma influences. In high-income countries, experiences related to self-disclosure and peer-vocational development issues. Across sites PSWs' expressed challenges and needs related to lack of role clarity, relations with MH staff and integration into services. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal the potential of mental health peer support workers (MH PSWs) to aid in mental health recovery and systemic change. However, implementation experiences vary across cultures, highlighting the need to further develop the PSW role and integrate it into mental health systems across different sites. Trial Registration: ISRCTN26008944.
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Date
2025
Type
Article
Subject
Peer support, Mental health services
Citation
Moran, G. S., Goldfarb, Y., Ben-Dor, I. A., Hadas-Grundman, S., Kalha, J., Baillie, D., Kwebiiha, E., Mahlke, C., Ramesh, M., Slade, M., et al. (2025). Multicultural Implementation-experiences of peer support workers in MH Services : qualitative findings of UPSIDES innovative intervention-an international multi-site project. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, DOI: 10.1007/s10926-025-10320-4.
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DOI
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Publisher
Springer Nature
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Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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