WHO EMBRACES PEER SUPPORT
Researchers also identified several factors that influence willingness to receive peer support.
Younger adults are typically more open to peer-based care, likely reflecting greater awareness of and openness towards mental health issues, according to the study.
Adults who had previously sought professional help are also more likely to welcome peer support, suggesting that informal and formal care may be complementary rather than mutually exclusive.
Meanwhile, respondents in white-collar managerial roles, such as managers and directors, are more open to seeking informal support than those in non-managerial positions, such as clerical support staff and sales workers.
Researchers said this could be due to higher health literacy, greater work-related stress and fewer peer support networks at senior levels.
They added that the findings could help shape programmes that better respond to people’s needs.
Professor Eric Finkelstein, executive director of the Lien Centre for Palliative Care at Duke-NUS, said mental health support is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
The study’s co-author added that programmes and networks must be thoughtfully designed, highlighting peer support as a key component of effective mental healthcare.
“Peers can be invaluable, certainly during crises, to help stabilise individuals, to provide hope, (and) to provide encouragement,” he told CNA’s Singapore Tonight.
Still, Prof Finkelstein stressed that peer support cannot replace professional care.
“If the peer can help and encourage you to go get access (to a mental health professional) and act as a complement, then I think that’s really a great thing, and can actually make formal care even more effective,” he said.
