AI Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to understand the benefits and challenges of young adults serving as peer mentors for adolescents with chronic illnesses, using interviews and focus groups for data collection.
- Ten peer mentors, aged 17 to 22, shared their experiences in a Skype-based mentorship program called iPeer2Peer, focusing on social connections, personal growth, and their roles in helping mentees.
- The findings suggest that online peer mentoring is a valuable experience that enhances the mentors' self-management of their own health issues while fostering social ties and personal development.
Article Abstract
Objective: To explore the perceived benefits and challenges of acting as a young adult peer mentor to adolescents with chronic illness.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive study, using interviews and a focus group, explored the perceptions of young adult peer mentors following participation in the iPeer2Peer program, a Skype-based peer-mentorship program for adolescents with chronic illness. Interviews and focus group data were transcribed and analyzed using inductive content analysis.
Results: Ten peer mentors (20.00 ± 1.49 years old, range 17-22 years; diagnosed with chronic pain [n = 4] or juvenile idiopathic arthritis [n = 6]) who mentored four mentees (±2.55 mentees, range = 1-10 mentees) participated. Four main categories were identified: social connection, personal growth, mentor role in mentee growth, and logistics of mentorship.
Conclusions: Acting as a peer mentor online is a feasible and rewarding experience that supports the mentor's own illness self-management, social connection, and personal growth.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5896590 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsx062 | DOI Listing |
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