Peer support as a resilience building practice with men
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-04-2015-0015 |
| Date | 21 December 2015 |
| Pages | 196-204 |
| Published date | 21 December 2015 |
| Author | Mark Robinson,Gary Raine,Steve Robertson,Mary Steen,Rhiannon Day |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
Peer support as a resilience building
practice with men
Mark Robinson, Gary Raine, Steve Robertson, Mary Steen and Rhiannon Day
Dr Mark Robinson is Research
Fellow, Dr Gary Raine is
Researcher and Steve
Robertson is Professor, all at
the Centre for Men’s Health,
Leeds Beckett University,
Leeds, UK.
Mary Steen is Professor of
Midwifery at the School of
Nursing and Midwifery,
University of South Australia,
Adelaide, Australia.
Rhiannon Day is Research
Assistant at the Institute for
Health and Wellbeing, Leeds
Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an evaluation of a community mental health
resilience intervention for unemployed men aged 45-60. The focus is on examining the place of facilitated
peer support within a multi-dimensional men’s mental health programme, and exploring implications for
resilience building delivery approaches for men.
Design/methodology/approach –The paper draws on a mixed methodology design involving before and
after survey data and qualitative interviews, to report results concerning effectiveness in changing men’s
perceived resilience, to consider project processes concerning peer support, and to situate these within
wider community environments.
Findings –The programme significantly raised the perceived resilience of participants. Project activities
promoted trusting informal social connections, gains in social capital arose through trusting relations and
skill-sharing, and peer-peer action-focused talk and planning enhanced men’s resilience.
Research limitations/implications –The paper considers facilitated peer support ona programme, rather
than on-going informal peer support or more formal peer support roles (a limitation reflecting the boundaries
of the funded programme).
Practical implications –The paper discusses emerging considerations for resilience building, focusing on
gender-sensitive approaches which can engage and retain men by focusing on doing and talking. It highlights
the importance of peer support in community interventions which feature a social model of change. There is
potential for encouraging further peer mentoring and peer led support beyond facilitated peer support in
programme delivery.
Social implications –Potential exists for gender-aware programmes to sustain salutogenic change,
co-producing social assets of peer support, male-friendly activities, and context sensitive course provision.
Originality/value –The paper adds fresh evidence of gendered intervention approaches with a specific
focus on facilitated community peer support, including effects on male resilience. Little previous resilience
research is gendered, there is little gendered research on peer support, and unemployed middle-aged men
are a significant risk group.
Keywords Evaluation, Resilience, Peer support, Health promotion, Men’s health, Social intervention
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Existing evidence about peer support in mental health is mainly non-gendered. However, many peer
support initiatives occur within environments often perceived by men as feminised, compounding
men’s initial reluctance to disclose emotional vulnerability. In mental health programmes, an off erof
supportcan then be perceived bysome men as potentially emasculating. This paper explores how
these challenges can be met to enhance men’s social capital and resilience, drawing on the
example ofa resilience intervention in specificmale contexts. It considers facilitated peer support in
relation to men’s resilience, examining findings from an evaluation of a mental health resilience pilot
programme aimed at unemployed men aged 45-60.
Received 20 April 2015
Revised 14 October 2015
18 October 2015
Accepted 20 October 2015
The authors acknowledge the
support of the Mind Resilience
programme co-ordinator and
project steering group. The
authors thank the men who gave
valuable time to being interviewed,
and who filled in questionnaires.
The authors also thank
stakeholders who took part in
interviews.
PAGE196
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JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH
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VOL. 14 NO. 4 2015, pp. 196-204, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729 DOI 10.1108/JPMH-04-2015-0015
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