Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Training: A National Model for Peer Support for Medical and Dental Students

Medical and dental students experience higher-than-average prevalence of depression, anxiety, burnout, and suicidal ideation compared to the age-matched general population. Early interventions for these students can prevent escalation to more acute mental health crises and suicide. Studies show that medical students first seek support from their peers. Our curriculum teaches students how to support both themselves and their peers prior to an acute mental health crisis.

The authors designed, implemented, and evaluated a 90-minute peer-to-peer mental health training that aimed to equip first-year medical and dental students with skills and resources to intervene on behalf of a peer experiencing mental health distress. The workshop consisted of a peer-led didactic session, dyad role-play sessions, and a guided reflection. Resources included a slide deck, student handouts detailing the dyad role-plays, and pre/postsession surveys.

One hundred sixty-four first-year students from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine completed the required training. Comparisons of survey responses by paired t tests indicated statistically significant increases in mean scores for eight items assessing learner confidence, and an increased sum score of six items assessing learner knowledge (mean of 5.6 postsession vs. 5.4 presession; p = .04).

Our results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of peer-led mental health training to increase first-year medical and dental students' related knowledge and confidence in identifying and responding to peers experiencing emotional distress. The resources developed for this training can be adapted to provide foundational mental health training at other medical and dental institutions.