Pilot Feasibility Trial of a Peer Support Program for Trauma Survivors
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrollment
- 49
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Feasibility of implementing the Peer Support Program
Overview
Brief Summary
Traumatic injuries from events like car crashes, falls, or fires are a leading cause of disability. Survivors often face not only physical challenges but also long-lasting pain, mental health challenges and difficulty returning to work and family life. Although medical care focuses on physical recovery, survivors frequently report that their emotional and social needs are overlooked and unmet.
Peer support-guidance from people who have lived through similar injuries-can reduce distress and improve coping. However, no programs in Canada currently provide peer support to trauma survivors across their recovery journey, from hospital to rehabilitation to community living.
The investigators worked with trauma survivors, caregivers, and healthcare providers to co-design a Peer Support Program (PSP) that offers support throughout these stages. This pilot study will test whether the program is feasible and acceptable, and explore its early impact on recovery. Results will guide a future larger trial to expand peer support in trauma care.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Supportive Care
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •adult patients (18 years+) who have experienced an unintentional traumatic injury resulting in hospitalization at Sunnybrook and who will be discharged to inpatient rehabilitation at St. John's Rehab after acute care.
- •must be able to communicate in English
Exclusion Criteria
- •patients who experienced: a) an intentional self-harm injury (because self-harm suggests a history of mental health issues prior to the trauma requiring specific psychiatric supports)
- •patients who experienced: an injury caused by an intimate partner (because these injuries are typically underpinned by chronic exposure to domestic violence which requires interventions that promote patient safety and interrupt the pattern of violence)
- •patients who experienced: a violently-acquired injury (as this patient population already receives specific clinical and social support through Sunnybrook's BReAking the Cycle of Violence with Empathy (BRAVE) program).
- •patients with substantial cognitive impairment and a history of substance misuse if their HCPs indicate that either condition will impede the their ability to provide informed consent and/or participate safely in the trial
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Feasibility of implementing the Peer Support Program
Time Frame: From recruitment to 3 months post intervention
To determine the feasibility of implementing the Peer Support Program (PSP) for trauma survivors. We will measure the criteria below to establish feasibility. These feasibility goals were established with reference to another study our group conducted aimed at assessing the feasibility of a novel psychosocial group intervention for amputees. * RECRUITMENT (proportion of eligible participants approached who consent-GOAL: ≥50%), * WITHDRAWAL (proportion of study participants who withdraw from the study before the end of Phase II (Inpatient Rehabilitation)-GOAL: ≤ 25%) * ADHERENCE (proportion of PSP sessions attended by participants-GOAL: ≥60%), * RETENTION (proportion of participants who complete the program-GOAL: ≥60%); * BASELINE SURVEYS (proportion of surveys completed-GOAL: ≥70%). * POST-INTERVENTION SURVEY (proportion of surveys completed-GOAL: ≥60%): * SURVEY AT 3 MONTH FOLLOW UP (proportion of surveys completed-GOAL: ≥50%):
Secondary Outcomes
- Community Reintegration - Normal Living Index (RNL) Index(Baseline, up to 2 weeks post intervention, and 3-months post intervention)
- Coping Self-Efficacy (CSE) - 20-item CSE Scale(Baseline, up to 2 weeks post intervention, and 3-months post intervention)
- Health-Related Quality of Life - The Short-Form 36 (SF-36)(Baseline, up to 2 weeks post intervention, and 3-months post intervention)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C)(Baseline, up to 2 weeks post intervention, and 3-months post intervention)
- Post-Traumatic Growth - The Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI)(Baseline, up to 2 weeks post intervention, and 3-months post intervention)
- Social Support - The Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SS)(Baseline, up to 2 weeks post intervention, and 3-months post intervention)
- Loneliness and Social Isolation -The UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale(Baseline, up to 2 weeks post intervention, and 3-months post intervention)
Investigators
Marina Wasilewski
Senior Scientist
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre