Research

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…

This article details an evaluation of PartnerSPEAK, an organization in Victoria, Australia, that supports the non-offending partners, family and friends of CSAM offenders. PartnerSPEAK is the only support service of its kind in Australia, and one of only a few internationally. PartnerSPEAK utilizes a peer support model in which previous clients of PartnerSPEAK, who have…

The purpose of this article is to delineate the current state-of-the-knowledge of peer support following the framework employed in the 2004 article (Solomon, Psychiatr Rehabil J. 2004;27(4):392–401 1). A scoping literature was conducted and included articles from 1980 to present. Since 2004, major growth and advancements in peer support have occurred from the development of new…

As one of the world’s longest running anti-stigma campaigns, Time to Change (UK), came to an end in March 2021, policy makers, campaigners and researchers will be looking to learn lessons to take forward into the next phase in the fight against stigma. This presents the perfect opportunity to revisit the stigma research landscape and ask important…

Research shows that LGBTQ communities experience high levels of suicidality and mental ill health. They also face significant barriers to accessing adequate mental health treatment in service settings. In response to these factors, it is likely that LGBTQ community members turn to their peers for informal mental health-related support. Such support, however, is largely undefined,…

There is a powerful misconception that the sexual predation of children and vulnerable adults within faith based institutions is invariably an issue of male on male or male on female assault. This is clearly not the case.  Indeed, within the Catholic Church in Aotearoa entities that had the highest total figures of likely peadophiles between…

Sexual abuse and sexual assault are complex phenomena that involve many factors (or correlates) and have many health and financial implications for individuals, families, and society. Every correlate needs to be studied in detail, individually and in relation to other correlates. Only with a thorough understanding of these correlates can more efficient and targeted prevention…

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is rapidly becoming more prevalent online (Bursztein et al., 2019) as the number of people accessing it is increasing. This problem has only escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prompted an unprecedented increase in reports of CSAM to authorities (NCMEC, 2021). Many of these men have partners or families…

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major social problem and health concern worldwide and remains an emotional and controversial topic. While few studies have been conducted with a focus on men’s experiences of victimisation from female partners there is now a growing body of literature highlighting a knowledge gap and the need for more research…

Historically, domestic violence programs were born from the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s to address the needs of female survivors, who still represent the majority of victims seeking services today. Generally, the domestic violence movement has framed its work on a gender binary with men as perpetrators and women as victims. We have come…

Trauma-informed peer support helps create a shared understanding of trauma experiences, the different ways people cope, give and receive support, and recover. It fosters healing relationships, which negate the power and control of traditional therapies. Download PDF

Male victims of family violence have always lacked the services and support available (many would say insufficiently available) to female victims. Thankfully more services and support are now available to men than were provided decades ago, however lack of services for male victims is still a significant problem that needs addressing. This article uses a…