A Peer Support Group for Stroke
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Effectiveness of a Peer Support Group within a Community Stroke Service
IRAS ID
143240
Contact name
Chris V Stamatakis
Contact email
Research summary
Many psychological problems occur post-stroke, including: depression (Hacket et al., 2005), anxiety (Campbell Burton et al., 2013), fatigue (Glader et al., 2002), apathy (Angelelli et al., 2004) and post-traumatic stress disorder (Edmondson et al., 2013). This has a marked impact on health service usage (Naylor et al., 2012).
Psychological intervention for post-stroke care has been incorporated into national guidelines (Royal College of Physicians [RCP], 2012; Welsh Government, 2012). Despite this, there is an outstanding need to increase and improve psychological resources within these services (National Audit Office [NAO], 2010). Community care (and particularly the availability of psychological treatments) within stroke services has been consistently found to be poorer than hospital-based intervention (Care Quality Commission [CQC], 2011).
Peer support engenders improved outcomes in a range of chronic health conditions, such as diabetes (Piette et al., 2013), cardiac problems (Parry & Watt-Watson, 2010) and cancer (Pistrang et al., 2012. Peer support engages a person who has experiential knowledge rather than formal training (Morris & Morris, 2012). Both clinical guidelines (RCP, 2012) and national strategies (Department of Health, 2007) advocate the use of peer support in stroke services. Preliminary studies of peer support in stroke services reported positive findings (Hancock, 2009; Morris & Morris, 2012) but further research is required (Dale et al., 2012).
Peer supporters will facilitate group sessions (5-weeks duration) for community-living stroke survivors and their carers. The groups will focus upon common difficulties following stroke (e.g. mood, memory, mobility). Primary (mood) and secondary (e.g. quality of life) outcomes will be assessed by questionnaire before after and at 3-months follow-up. There will be matched comparison groups of stroke survivors to provide a baseline against which to assess any benefits of the group.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1257
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion