ReviewBJPsych open2023
A systematic review of peer support interventions for student mental health and well-being in higher education.
Review in BJPsych open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 37 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed.
- Help-Seeking Self-Stigma and the Association Between Perceived Social Support and Psychological Distress Among Kuwait University Students: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Moderation Analysis.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026Article
- National Task Force on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical students: A critique.The Indian journal of medical research · 2026Article
- Student mental wellbeing as an interconnected system: positioning academic, social, and coping processes.SSM - population health · 2026Article
- University student mental health research: look back to move forward.BJPsych open · 2026Article
- Experience and perceived requirements of a peer mentoring program in undergraduate nursing education: insights from faculty and students.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Co-Creation of Mental Health Intervention for Adolescents: A Social Hackathon Approach.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A dual attention transformer modelling for explainable mental health analysis in academic environments using TaBERT.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The relationship between freshmen's perceived social support and learning flow: the chain mediating role of perceived stress and depression.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Peer-led mentoring intervention for test anxiety reduction among medical students: development, implementation, and prospective evaluation.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Long-term enhancement mechanisms of peer support on college students' mental health: testing a chain mediation model based on three-year longitudinal tracking.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Havruta-structured dialogue as a social-emotional competence intervention: multi-stakeholder evidence on university students' mental health.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Prevalence, Digital Tools, and Management Strategies for Depression in Medical Students: A Narrative Review.Advances in medical education and practice · 2026Review
- Re-imagining students healing, power and belonging through eco-therapy based peer-led action.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- "I Am Not Struggling Alone": communicating support through peer mutual aid to reduce academic stress transmission and emotional contagion in large university classes.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Beyond the undergraduate experience: Pre-arrival expectations of postgraduate taught students at a UK university.PloS one · 2026Article
- Training for departure? Policy, professional portability, and the fragile future of Nepal's nursing workforce.Frontiers in health services · 2026Review
- Navigating the storm: a scoping review of support strategies for postgraduate nursing students with probable anxiety and depression in South Africa.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Supporting Mental Health Among STEM Students: The REDFLAGS Model.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The effect of peer-supported mobile orientation on nursing students' clinical stress and sense of belonging: an experimental study.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Perceived Stress Profiles Among Italian University Students: A Multivariate Approach.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHigher education institutions (HEIs) are seeking effective ways to address the rising demand for student mental health services. Peer support is widely considered a viable option to increase service capacity; however, there are no agreed definitions of peer support, making it difficult to establish its impact on student mental health and well-being.
aimsThis systematic review aims to better understand and evaluate peer support in HEIs.
methodFive databases, OpenGrey and Grey Matters were searched in May 2021. Included studies were quantitative, longitudinal (with and without a control) or cross-sectional with a control. The vote-counting method was used for synthesis. The risk of bias was assessed with the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool.
resultsThree types of peer support were represented in 28 papers: peer-led support groups, peer mentoring and peer learning. Peer learning and peer mentoring had more positive, significant results reported for the outcomes of anxiety and stress. Peer-led support groups were the only type targeting students with mental health difficulties.
conclusionsThe heterogeneity of measures and outcomes prevents firm conclusions on the effectiveness of peer support for mental health and well-being. Most studies were rated 'poor' or 'fair' in their risk of bias. There is not a solid evidence base for the effectiveness of peer support. Nonetheless, HEIs can use the terminology developed in this review for shared discussions that guide more robust research and evaluation of peer support as an intervention.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.