A Path to Inclusiveness - Peer Support Groups as a Resource for Change.
Ann Jeanette Heitmann, Lisbeth Valla, Elena Albertini Früh and 1 others
PMID 35287497WHAT IT FOUND
Bullied children and peers described support groups, plus individual nurse or teacher consultations, as helping them feel less lonely and more courageous; peers also said helping could be tiring.
These are experiences, not tested effects.
Key findings
01Bullied children described loneliness and said small peer invitations were part of feeling included.
02Children said opening up was scary but useful, and they were relieved group members kept it private.
03Some support group members found the helping role tiring and asked leaders to check on how the helpers felt.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 24 children from two schools, with only four bullied children. The children were interviewed once, so the study could not follow whether changes persisted. There was no control group and no measured outcome, so the paper cannot show that the support groups caused change. The bullied child received individual nurse or teacher consultations as well as peer group activity, so the contribution of each part cannot be separated. Focus group interviews allowed children to influence each other's answers. The researchers were experienced school nurses and one was a family therapist, which may have shaped what was said and how it was interpreted.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that peer support groups alone work. The bullied children also had individual consultations with school nurses or teachers, and the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The study reported experiences, not measured outcomes.