Context
Peer providers with lived experiences of mental health and substance use are a growing
component of the workforce responsible for the prevention and treatment of behavioral
health disorders. This systematic literature review aims to better define the roles
of peers and their unique contributions to behavioral health care.
Evidence acquisition
Researchers searched MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central, and Scopus
databases for studies published between January 1, 2013 and April 3, 2020. Studies
were included if they (1) were experimental or observational studies, (2) included
an adult population of people with a behavioral health disorder, and (3) used paid
peer providers in addition to traditional behavioral health services. Researchers
extracted sample demographics, intervention characteristics, outcome data, and significant
associations from studies that met inclusion criteria and assessed the trends in these
data in May 2020.
Evidence synthesis
A total of 23 articles assessing peer-provided services were included. Peers were
employed most frequently in mental healthcare roles in the Department of Veterans
Affairs, hospital, and community health facilities. A total of 14 studies observed
significant clinical improvements in participants’ social functioning, quality of
life, patient activation, and behavioral health. A majority of studies involved the
supervision of peers and required peers to have completed training in service delivery.
Conclusions
Peers are effective providers of behavioral health treatment and relapse prevention
services who encourage recovery through resilience building, empowerment, and self-advocacy.
There remains a need for more evidence-based interventions on the efficacy of peers
in substance use disorder treatment and the impact of formalized certification and
training opportunities.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 23, 2021
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© 2021 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
