Peer mentoring for people with acquired brain injury - a systematic review

Over 100 million people worldwide live with disabilities resulting from an acquired brain injury (ABI). ABI survivors experience cognitive and physical problems and require support to resume an active life. They can benefit from support from someone who has been through the same issues (i.e. peer mentor). This review investigated the effectiveness of peer mentoring for ABI survivors.

Eleven databases, two trial registers, and PROSPERO were searched for published studies. Two reviewers independently screened all titles, abstracts, and full texts, extracted data, and assessed quality. The PRISMA 2020 guidelines were followed to improve transparency in the reporting of the review.

The search returned 4,094 results; 2,557 records remained after the removal of duplicates and 2,419 were excluded based on titles and abstracts. Of the remaining 138, 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Five were conducted in the United States, three in Canada, three in the UK, and one in New Zealand. Meta-analysis was inappropriate due to the heterogeneity of study designs. Therefore, a narrative synthesis of the data was undertaken.

Although peer mentoring has the potential to positively influence activity and participation among ABI survivors, further research is needed to understand the extent of the benefits.