The Effects of Australia's First Residential Peer-Support Suicide Prevention and Recovery Centre (SPARC)

Aim: This paper reports preliminary evidence of the impacts of Australia's first residential peer-support service for people at risk of suicide. Methods: Psychological distress was measured preintervention, postintervention, and after 3 months and analyzed using paired t tests. Interviews were held postintervention and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Psychological distress significantly improved from preintervention to postintervention (n = 16, d = 1.77) and at follow-up (n = 5, d = 1.12). Interviews (n = 10) indicated that participants experienced improvements in mental well-being and feelings of connectedness, respite, and confidence to engage with other services. The peer-support workers were key. Some participants felt that the location was too remote, too little information was given, and a longer stay would have been preferable. Limitations: The study did not include a control group, the sample was relatively small, and participants may have been subject to socially desirable answers. Conclusions: These findings indicate that residential peer-support services potentially offer a valuable alternative to conventional inpatient treatment for people at risk of suicide.