Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39138435›Full record

Trial reportBMC psychiatry2024

The 'Paths to everyday life' (PEER) trial - a qualitative study of mechanisms of change from the perspectives of individuals with mental health difficulties participating in peer support groups led by volunteer peers.

Cecilie Høgh Egmose, Chalotte Heinsvig Poulsen, Siv-Therese Bogevik Bjørkedal, Lene Falgaard Eplov

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04639167 (Volunteer-led "Paths to Everyday Life"), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT04639167 nacompletednot on this map

Volunteer-led "Paths to Everyday Life" (PEER) Peer Support Group Intervention to Adults With Mental Health Difficulties Versus Service as Usual in the Community - Results From a Randomized Two-armed, Multi-municipal, Superiority Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorAmager HospitalRan2020 to 2023Enrolled299ConditionsMental Health Impairment, Peer Group, Mental Health Disorder, Problems PsychosocialArmsPaths to everyday life (PEER)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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  3. Loneliness, Self-Efficacy and Adaptive Coping: Mixed Methods Analysis of Mediation in a Peer Support Intervention for Depression.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2025
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  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Cecilie Høgh EgmoseCopenhagen Research Unit for Recovery, Mental Health Centre Amager, Hans Bogbinders Allé 3, 3. Floor, Copenhagen S, 2300, Denmark.
Chalotte Heinsvig PoulsenCopenhagen Research Unit for Recovery, Mental Health Centre Amager, Hans Bogbinders Allé 3, 3. Floor, Copenhagen S, 2300, Denmark. chalotte.heinsvig.poulsen.01@regionh.dk.
Siv-Therese Bogevik BjørkedalCopenhagen Research Unit for Recovery, Mental Health Centre Amager, Hans Bogbinders Allé 3, 3. Floor, Copenhagen S, 2300, Denmark.
Lene Falgaard EplovCopenhagen Research Unit for Recovery, Mental Health Centre Amager, Hans Bogbinders Allé 3, 3. Floor, Copenhagen S, 2300, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWorldwide, peers support has been shown to play a crucial role in supporting people with mental illness in their personal recovery process and return to everyday life. Qualitiative studies underpinning the mechanisms of change in peer support has been reviewed. However, the findings are primeraly based on the perspectives of peer support workers employed in mental health services. Thus, qualitiative studies elucidating the mechanisms of change from the recipient perspective in mental health service independent civil society settings are higly needed to further contribute to the evidence of peer support. The 'Paths to every day life' (PEER) is evaluated in a randomized trial and is substantiated by qualitative studies investigating the experiences of PEER from the perspectives of the recipients and the facilitators of peer support. The purpose of this qualitative study underpinned by critical realism was to substantiate the PEER intervention program theory by gaining deeper insight into the change mechanisms and elaborate how, when, and under what circumstances the peer support groups potentially had or did not have an impact on personal recovery from the perspectives of the recipients of peer support.

methodsEleven individuals were interviewed at the end of the ten-week group course. The semi-structured realist-inspired interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The analysis was guided by reflective thematic analysis and through an abductive framework based on the program theory. Data were coded and analysed in Nvivo software.

resultsFour overarching themes were identified that informed and nuanced the program theory: 1) Connectedness as a prerequisite for engagement; 2) A sense of hope by working out new paths to recovery; 3) Seeing new sides of oneself; and 4) Sprout for change.

conclusionsThis study substantiates the program theory and the quantitative results of the PEER trial by elaborating on mechanisms that were felt to be essential for the personal recovery process from the perspectives of the recipients of the group-based peer support. In addition, the study points out that the opportunities to act in everyday life depended on individual context and where the group participants were on their recovery journey.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04639167.

Indexed as

Mental DisordersPeer GroupQualitative ResearchSelf-Help GroupsAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSocial SupportVolunteersCivil societyMental healthMental illnessPeer supportPersonal recoveryVolunteer peers

Identifiers

PMID39138435
PMCPMC11321162

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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.