Peer Support for Public Safety Personnel in Canada: Towards a Typology

Jill A. B. Price, Adeyemi O. Ogunade, Amber J. Fletcher, Rosemary Ricciardelli, Gregory S. Anderson, Heidi Cramm and R. Nicholas Carleton
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Jill A. B. Price: Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Adeyemi O. Ogunade: Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Amber J. Fletcher: Department of Sociology and Social Studies, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Rosemary Ricciardelli: Department of Sociology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7, Canada
Gregory S. Anderson: Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8, Canada
Heidi Cramm: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
R. Nicholas Carleton: Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: Public safety personnel (PSP) are frequently exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) which can impact mental health. To help mitigate the negative effects of PPTEs, PSP commonly rely on peer support. Peer support generally refers to a wide variety of mental health resources that offer social or emotional assistance to a peer, and in some cases professional assistance. Despite the use of and demand for peer support, there is relatively little empirical evidence regarding effectiveness. The evidence gaps regarding peer support effectiveness may be due, in part, to inadequate guidelines and standards of practice that are publicly supported by a consensus among peer support providers. The current study was designed to explore the current conceptualization and implementation of peer support among Canadian PSP using a document analysis. The results indicate that peer support can be conceptualized via three models (i.e., peer-enabled, peer-led, peer-partnership) and implemented via two delivery methods (i.e., program, service). The research team proposed a novel diagram towards a typology of peer support to highlight the diversity in peer support conceptualization and implementation and provide a foundation for the development of mutually agreed-upon language and a shared framework. Overall, the current study can help inform peer support resources within and beyond PSP communities.

Keywords: peer support; public safety personnel; mental health; typology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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