Peer support providers, individuals employed in part due to their lived experiences, have been widely used in health care settings for several chronic diseases, such as diabetes, HIV, asthma, and cancer (Lehman & Sanders, 2007; Pearson, Micek, Simoni, Hoff, Matediana, et al., 2007; Swider, 2002; Zuvekas, Nolan, Tumaylle, & Griffin, 1999). Not surprisingly, parent-based peer support also originated in the health care field, with studies in diabetes, asthma, sickle cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis showing decreased parental strain (Ainbinder, Blanchard, Singer, Sullivan, Powers, et al., 1998; Ireys, Chernoff, DeVet, & Kim, 2001; Ireys, Sills, Koldner, & Walsh, 1996; Sullivan-Bolyai, Knafl, Tamborlane, & Grey, 2004; Sullivan-Bolyai, Bova, Leung, Trudeau, Lee, et al., 2010). Research has indicated that when parents with lived experiences are used to provide health-related support to other parents, the parents’ mental health and functioning and access to resources improve (Ireys, Chernoff, DeVet, & Kim, 2001; Ireys, Chernoff, DeVet, & Silver, 2001).
Parent peer support began to be viewed as a cornerstone of the public mental health system in the 1980s (Collins & Collins, 1990; DeChillo, 1993; Koroloff, Elliot, Koren, & Friesen, 1994; Pinderhughes, 1982; Hoagwood, 2005). It has been identified as an essential component in service quality (Stroul, 1996) and viewed as a manifestation of the core principle – family-driven care – in system of care movement (Stroul & Friedman, 1986). The use of family peers in the public mental health service delivery system has increased over the last two decades. Parent peer support providers have been defined as parents or primary caregivers who have lived experience caring for children who have struggled with emotional and behavioral disorders (Santelli, Turnbull, Marquis, & Lerner, 1995). This workforce provides support and advocacy for families receiving services and assists them in navigating through service systems. In a review of the emerging literature, Robbins, Johnston, Barnett, Hobstetter, Kutash, et al. (2008) concluded that parent peer support assists families by matching them with others who understand the difficulties and can relate through a shared experience.
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