Peer support for university mental health

包括皇家精神病学家学院（2011年）和高等教育政策研究所（2016年）在内的组织对大学生的心理健康表示担忧。报告困境的学生人数正在上升（Neves & Hillman，2017），对专业支持服务的需求也在上升（就业研究所，2015）。据怀疑，报告经历痛苦的学生中只有不到三分之一得到了支持（Wadman等人，2019).政策制定者认识到，扩大专业支持不是一个可行的解决方案;这将使赤字模式永久化，并维持心理健康问题的解决方案取决于个人自愿范围的假设。提倡一种基于环境的方法，即考虑整个机构的心理健康（例如，英国大学，2017年和学生思想，2018年）。一个基于“有机”环境的模型假设，虽然健康问题主要被视为存在于更广泛的系统中，但解决方案存在于构成整体的众多日常过程和实践中（Whitehead等人，2001年）。这种方法有利于基层参与（Muntaner等人，2000年），其活动重点是加强集体参与和行动（Beattie，1987年）。同伴支持可以被概念化为一种“有机”方法。将具有相似经历的学生聚集在一起，分享知识，以实现互利，预计将允许人们给予和接受帮助（米德，希尔顿，柯蒂斯，2001），减少孤独感（所罗门，2004），建立社会支持的形式，防止抑郁症的发展（亨特和艾森伯格，2010）。通过支持非专业人员发展技能，以促进更好的心理健康，同伴支持建立社区的复原力，虽然有广泛的研究干预措施的效果集中在个别学生，如认知行为疗法，有实质性的差距，在数据更全面的方法（什么工作幸福，即将出版）。同伴运行的抑郁症项目已被证明可显著减少抑郁症状，并与专业领导的干预措施一样有效，且显著优于无治疗条件（Bryan & Arkowitz，2015; Pfeiffer et al.，2011年）。该项目将评估这些发现是否在大学生中复制。该项目将与我们的慈善合作伙伴Student Minds合作，评估同伴支持团体对抑郁症状的有效性，比较参与和不参与团体的学生的结果。还将监测开始小组但随后辍学的学生的结果。定性研究，以建立一个更深入的理解同伴支持的影响，作为一个“有机”的设置为基础的方法。

Organisations including the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2011) and the Higher Education Policy Institute (2016) have raised concerns about the mental health of university students. The number of students reporting distress is rising (Neves & Hillman, 2017), as is demand for professional support services (Institute for Employment Studies, 2015). It is suspected that less than a third of students who report experiencing distress are receiving support (Wadman et al., 2019).Policy makers recognise that expanding professional support is not a viable solution; it would perpetuate a deficit model and maintain the assumption that the solution to mental health problems rests within the voluntary scope of the individual. A settings-based approach, that considered mental health across the whole institution has been advocated (e.g., Universities UK, 2017 and Student Minds, 2018). An 'organic' settings-based model takes the assumption that while health problems predominantly seen to lie within the wider system, the solution lies in the multitude of day-to-day processes and practices that constitute the whole (Whitehead et al., 2001). This approach favours grassroots participation (Muntaner et al., 2000), where activity focuses on strengthening collective participation and action (Beattie, 1987). Peer support can be conceptualised as an 'organic' approach. Bringing together students with similar experiences to share knowledge for mutual benefit, is expected to allow people to give and receive help (Mead, Hilton, & Curtis, 2001) and reduce loneliness (Solomon, 2004), building the form of social support that is protective against the development of depression (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). By supporting non-professionals to develop skills to foster better mental health, peer support builds community resilience.While there has been extensive research into the efficacy of interventions focused on the individual student, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, there are substantive gaps in the data for more holistic approaches (What Works Wellbeing, forthcoming). Peer run programmes for depression have been shown to produce significant reductions in depressive symptoms and perform as well as professional-led interventions and significantly better than no-treatment conditions (Bryan & Arkowitz, 2015; Pfeiffer et al., 2011). This project will assess whether these findings replicate among university students. Working with our charity partner, Student Minds, the project will evaluate the efficacy of peer support groups for depressive symptoms, comparing outcomes for students who do and do not engage with groups. Outcomes will also be monitored for students who start groups but subsequently drop out. Qualitative research to build a deeper understanding of the impact of peer support as an 'organic' settings-based approach.