Training peers to deliver mental health support to adults with Type 1 diabetes using the REACHOUT Mobile App
Tricia S. Tang, Annie K. W. Yip, Gerri Klein, Lauren Moore, Danielle Hessler, William H. Polonsky, Lawrence Fisher - Endocrinology
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Internal Medicine
Abstract
Aims
While peer support research is growing in the Type 1 diabetes (T1D) community, the peer supporter training (PST) process is rarely documented in detail. This study provides a comprehensive description of PST and evaluation for the REACHOUT mental health support intervention, and examines the feasibility and perceived utility of PST.
Methods
Fifty‐three adults with T1D were recruited to participate in a six‐hour, zoom‐based PST program for mental health support. The program was structured in three parts: (1) internal motivation, resilience, and empathy; (2) mindfulness, emotions, and diabetes distress; and (3) active listening and deferring clinical questions to professionals. Candidates were evaluated based on eight pre‐established competency criteria during a 5‐day support trial with an assigned standardized T1D participant. Perceived usefulness of training skills was also assessed three months into the REACHOUT mental health support intervention.
Results
Fifty‐one of the 53 candidates who completed training achieved the criteria to graduate. Mean scores for the eight competency domains were: listens actively (4.55); asks open‐ended questions (4.12); expresses empathy (4.42); avoids passing judgment (4.67); sits with strong emotions (4.44); refrains from giving advice (4.38); makes reflections (4.5); and defers medical questions (4.58). Of the skills learned during the PST, 95% rated interpreting and discussing diabetes distress profile and expressing empathy as moderately to extremely useful.
Conclusions
Findings demonstrate that it is feasible to recruit and graduate the number of trainees needed using a rigiorous process. Only by making training protocols available can the PST be replicated and translated to other T1D populations (e.g., adolescents, parents of children with T1D).