Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Oct 16;23(1):2007.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16666-9.

Parent-carer experiences using a peer support network: a qualitative study

Rebecca Gudka  1 , Charlotte Kelman  1 , Eleanor Bryant  1 , Bushra Farooq  2 , Vashti Berry  3 , Gretchen Bjornstad  3 , Faith Martin  4 , Sarah-Lou Glover  5 , Abigail Russell  6
Affiliations

Parent-carer experiences using a peer support network: a qualitative study

Rebecca Gudka et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: Parent-carers of children and young people (CYP) with mental health problems are at greater risk of poor outcomes, such as poor physical and mental health. Peer interventions for parent-carers of CYP with disabilities may improve parent-carer outcomes. This qualitative study investigates parent-carer experiences of using Parental Minds (PM), a multi-component peer support service for parent-carers of CYP with disabilities.

Methods: Twelve current service-users and four staff/volunteers at PM participated in one-to-one semi-structured interviews. All participants were white females, except for one service-user who was male. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of results was used to explore perceived benefits and disadvantages of PM and possible behaviour change mechanisms.

Results: Three themes and eight subthemes were identified. Participants identified that internal and external factors influence their self-concept. The identification of themselves as a priority, and empowerment by reassurance and affirmation lead to improved parent-carer self-efficacy and agency to better care for their CYP. Participants described the difficulty of speaking honestly with friends and family about what they experience because it is perceived as different to what "normal" parents experience. From participant accounts, PM enables the construction of a support network and links external services to help manage family circumstances rather than offer curative treatment/intervention. Proactive and immediate advice which is constantly and consistently available was valued by participants. Participants expressed the need for a flexible range of service components which provide holistic support that encompasses both health and social care.

Conclusions: PM was perceived to be beneficial as a multi-component peer support service which increases parenting self-efficacy and empowerment, reduces isolation, improves access to services, and is tailored to individual needs. Parent-carers reported benefits in parenting and wellbeing practices. The development of a refined logic model will inform a future study of the effectiveness of PM on parent-carer outcomes.

Keywords: Behaviour change intervention; Carers; Holistic care; Mechanisms; Parents; Peer support; Qualitative; Wellbeing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Sarah-Lou Glover is the founding-director of Parental Minds, the organisation to which this research pertains. This study is a collaboration between the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Research Collaboration (ChYMe), UoE CMH, and Parental Minds. A collaboration agreement between Parental Minds and UoE CMH was agreed and signed to manage any potential competing interest and lay out guidance for SLG’s involvement in the research. The remaining authors have no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A visual representation of support components provided by Parental Minds Parental Minds offer a range of support options; service-users can create a bespoke service by using any combination of the components provided. Support is delivered in a variety of formats, service-users can choose to take part in one-to-one or group support, both of which can be delivered online or in person. Service-users are also given regular opportunities to share their experiences with researchers to inform and help develop external services
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Refined logic model: representation of activities run by Parental Minds and their outputs Behaviour change mechanisms, short term outcomes and long-term outcomes were initially developed, then refined using the qualitative findings. Behaviour change mechanisms which were viewed as important by participants or abundant in the findings are highlighted in green
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Vizard T, Sadler K, Ford T, Newlove-Delgado T, McManus S, Marcheselli F, et al. NHS Digital. Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020: Wave 1 follow up to the 2017 survey - NHS Digital. 2020.
    1. Office for National Statistics . Special educational needs in England, Academic Year 2020/21. 2021.
    1. Office for National Statistics . Deaths registered in England and Wales. 2021.
    1. Equality Act 2010 . UK Government. 2010.
    1. Deighton J, Lereya ST, Casey P, Patalay P, Humphrey N, Wolpert M. Prevalence of mental health problems in schools: Poverty and other risk factors among 28 000 adolescents in England. Br J Psychiatry. 2019;215(3):565–7. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types