Research

Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another.

Henri Nouwen

Peer support work: an international scoping review

A recent comprehensive review of the international literature regarding the use of peer support services in the mental health sector affirms the principles and practices embodied in the Purposeful Peer Support Aotearoa. The scoping review of the international literature was commissioned by the Peer Support Five Year Strategy Working Group established by the Health Service…

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Women Receive More Positive Reactions to Childhood Sexual Abuse Disclosure and Negative Reactions are Associated With Mental Health Symptoms in Adulthood for Men and Women

Although disclosure of sexual abuse has become more socially acceptable for both men and women in recent years, there is much yet to be understood about differences in the disclosure process and associated pathology between men and women. The current study aimed to; (a) Investigate differences in aspects of the childhood sexual abuse (CSA) disclosure…

Read MoreWomen Receive More Positive Reactions to Childhood Sexual Abuse Disclosure and Negative Reactions are Associated With Mental Health Symptoms in Adulthood for Men and Women

Male survivors of sexual violence and abuse (SVA): Barriers and facilitators to reporting and accessing services

Sexual violence and abuse (SVA) is most typically presented as a gender-based problem due to the higher prevalence and incidence rates recorded for women. This has led to male victimisation being overlooked in research, practice and policy, despite international statistics demonstrating that a significant number of men experience SVA across their lifespan. In this research…

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Exploring male childhood sexual abuse survivors’ experiences of specialist counselling services

Global estimates suggest 5% to 10% of men report experience of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). However, male CSA is significantly underreported, with men being reluctant to disclose due to vulnerability, stigmatisation, homophobic responses and fearing a loss of masculinity. A lack of research and service provision targeted towards men suggests male survivors of CSA are…

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Male Survivors Aotearoa publishes part one of a research study on effective support services for male suriviors of sexual violence

Male Survivors Aotearoa publishes part one of a research study on effective support services for male suriviors of sexual violence.  “Living or merely existing” The experiences of male surivors of historical sexual abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand. Part two is expected to be published by mid 2023 Download PDF

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The Manchester Attack Support Group Programme: modelling a psychosocial response to collective trauma

An article discussing a support group programme initiated in response to the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 as an example of a psychosocial approach to post-disaster support. Its purpose is to highlight how a bespoke psychosocial peer-based initiative can complement and enhance mental health responses following collective trauma events. It gives an overview of psychosocial…

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Does Gender Affect Judges’ Perceptions of Sexual Assault Cases?

There is growing recognition that females engage in harmful sexual behaviour that is similar in severity and type to males. Existing research, however, suggests that there is a bias towards leniency in judicial systems for female sexual offenders (FSOs) in comparison to male sexual offenders (MSOs). Specifically, FSOs receive shorter sentences than do MSOs and…

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A Solitary Place: a phenomenological examination of male on-male rape and sexual abuse

Male-on-male rape is a critically under-researched area in the sexual violence literature. This is in part due to narratives that portray sexual violence as a female-only issue, which has led to substantial gaps in the current knowledge on male-on-male survivors’ experiences. However, evidence suggests that male sexual violence is prevalent and carries significant psychological consequences…

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Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse: Experiences of Men Survivors in India

Sexual abuse of boy children is a significant but under-acknowledged and under-addressed problem globally. The worldwide prevalence of sexual abuse of boys is estimated to be 3–17 per cent (Barth et al., 2013). In India, Ministry of Women and Child Development (2007) conducted a large-scale national study of children aged five to eighteen years and found that 52.94…

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Acceptability of Peer Support for People With Schizophrenia in Chennai, India: A Cross Sectional Study Amongst People With Lived Experience, Caregivers, and Mental Health Professionals

Establishing structured peer support in mental health, particularly for people with schizophrenia, as a psychosocial intervention is early in low and middle-income countries like India. Before implementing and understanding the effectiveness of peer support service and which mode of peer support delivery will be suitable for our culture, our study aimed to understand if peer…

Read MoreAcceptability of Peer Support for People With Schizophrenia in Chennai, India: A Cross Sectional Study Amongst People With Lived Experience, Caregivers, and Mental Health Professionals

What Makes Intentional Unidirectional Peer Support for Homeless People Work? An Exploratory Analysis Based on Clients’ and Peer Workers’ Perceptions

Homeless people are increasingly supported by peer workers in one-on-one mentorship relations, called intentional unidirectional peer support (IUPS). Intentional unidirectional peer support refers to “a formalized mentorship type of peer intervention where the peer is clearly more advanced and is mentoring the client in an organized fashion” (Barker et al., 2020). Research investigating the effectiveness…

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The Best of Both Worlds”: Experiences of young people attending groups co-facilitated by peer workers and clinicians in a youth mental health service

Peer Support is an emerging discipline within mental health services (Slade et al., 2014), providing opportunities for positive role modelling and peer influence (Faulkner & Basset, 2012). The embodiment of recovery by peer workers disrupts for service users the “chronicity of their patient role” (p. 884) reinforced by models of care focusing on symptom reduction and illness…

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