Dan Devoe

and 12 more

Short title of the paper … Introduction: Peer support has increasingly been integrated into youth mental health programs globally. Peer support workers are an important ally in an individual’s recovery journey, providing both emotional and instrumental support and advocacy through their lived experiences. Objectives: To conduct a scoping review examining peer support services for youth with mental health concerns. Methods: This scoping review was prospectively registered with The Open Science Framework and followed the PRISMA scoping review extension checklist. In consultation with a health services librarian, seven electronic databases (i.e., MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, SocINDEX, ERIC, CINHAL, and Education Research Complete) were searched from inception to May 2023. Two blinded reviewers chose peer-reviewed studies for inclusion in this scoping review if the research examined youth with mental health concerns that were involved in a peer support intervention or program. Results: After duplicate references were removed, 4,001 titles and abstracts were screened. In total, 70 studies met the inclusion criteria for this scoping review. A total 11147 youth (mean age 19.5 years) were identified as receiving peer support. About half the studies examined peer support service or program only (34/70; 49%). In others, peer support was examined alongside elements such as group therapy (29/70; 41%), goal setting (5/70; 7%), and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) (5/70; 7%). Peer support services were identified as being significantly effective in treating mental health concerns in 81% (57/70) of studies. Conclusion: This scoping review demonstrated the ability of peer support services in aiding young people with mental health needs. Offering peer support may help mitigate future mental health problems in adulthood and increase quality of life.