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"From the same mad planet": A grounded theory of service users' accounts of the relationship within professional peer support
Bailie, H. Alistair Tickle, Anna C.
Bailie, H. Alistair
Tickle, Anna C.
Abstract
Purpose: Peer support (PS) workers are being employed despite uncertain evidence for clinical and cost-effectiveness. Psychological theories have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of PS but these lack empirical validation and specificity to professional PS. The purpose of this paper is to develop a substantive interpretive grounded theory of service-users' experience of professional PS work. Design/methodology/approach: Constructivist grounded theory was used throughout. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten service-users who had engaged with a professional PS worker. Findings: Three overarching themes were constructed. "The process of disclosure" describes how disclosure of mental health difficulties, experiences as a service-user and wider disclosure about life experiences, interests and values facilitate the development of a shared identity with the PS worker. "The product of disclosure" highlights the sense of being understood as a result of the disclosure and marks a deepening of the relationship. "Dual roles" describes the tenuous position of holding both a professional relationship and friendship. Research limitations/implications: Future research should seek to refine the theory developed and compare the effects of therapist self-disclosure with that found within PS. There were limitations within the study, including limited diversity within the sample as well as difficulties with recruitment. Originality/value - This study connects service-users' accounts of receiving PS with existing psychological theory to move towards an understanding of the relationship between receivers and providers of professional PS. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
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2016
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Bailie, H. A., Tickle, A. C. & Rennoldson, M. (2016). "From the same mad planet": A grounded theory of service users' accounts of the relationship within professional peer support. Mental Health Review Journal, 21 (4), pp.282-294.
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Article as accepted for publication in Mental Health Review Journal published by Emerald, available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-02-2016-0004