Journal Article

Effectiveness of a community-based peer support service among persons suffering severe mental illness in China

Ma, Liang, Li, Zhongxiang, He, Manxi, Ouyang, Aili, Fan, Yunge, Ma, Ning, Zhang, Wufang, Liu, Jin, Yang, Junlan, Chen, Yong, Caine, Eric D.

2022

Overview

Community-based peer support service is widely and effectively deployed for persons suffering severe mental illness (SMI) in countries with well-developed outpatient mental health systems. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 1-year peer service project among persons with SMI implemented in China. A total of 101 consumers (service recipients) and 66 family caregivers were recruited at baseline from communities located in Beijing and Chengdu. Severity of psychiatric symptoms, personal and social functioning, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and medication adherence were evaluated among consumers. Self-esteem, life satisfaction, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were assessed among family caregivers. Participants were reevaluated at 1 year with the same measures. Changes in outcomes from baseline to 1-year follow-up were examined using paired sample tests or Stuart-Maxwell tests. Consumers' psychiatric symptoms were decreased at 1 year (  < 0.001). Their personal and social functioning (  = 0.003) and life satisfaction (  < 0.001) were increased. There were no improvements in self-esteem (  = 0.108) and medication adherence (  ≥ 0.827) among consumers. For caregivers, no increases were presented in outcomes at the 1-year assessment (  ≥ 0.164). The findings suggest that peer support services could be sustainably implemented across China, with positive impacts on the psychiatric symptoms, social functioning, and life satisfaction of participants suffering SMI.

• Publisher: PeerJ. Ltd,PeerJ, Inc,PeerJ Inc
• Subject: Anxiety / Beijing / Bipolar disorder / Caregivers / China / China - epidemiology / Community / Community Health Services / Consumers / Counseling / Effectiveness / Health care / Healthcare Services / Humans / Intervention / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental Disorders - epidemiology / Mental Health / Mental illness / Mentally ill / Patient compliance / Peer support service / Peer tutoring / Psychiatry and Psychology / Rehabilitation / Schizophrenia / Self esteem / Severe mental illness / Social skills