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The vulnerable superhero—a qualitative study investigating how spinal cord injury peer mentors experience their role in Active Rehabilitation training programs

Spinal Cord volume 61, pages 541–547 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Study design

Qualitative study.

Objectives

To explore how peer mentors with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience their role in Active Rehabilitation programs in Sweden.

Setting

Community peer-based training programs in Sweden.

Methods

Twenty active peer mentors were strategically selected and invited to participate. Nine individuals of diverse age, level of SCI and time since injury participated in semi-structured interviews via video link. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results

The theme: Being a vulnerable superhero—a balancing act with rewards was based upon five categories: Being a suitable fit for a demanding culture, Offering a shortcut to coping with spinal cord injury life, Feeling rewarded by helping others, Building trust is reciprocal, and Constituting the norm in a temporary community. The peer mentors expressed vulnerability of sharing life experiences, being a role model and building relationships with mentees. The theme emerged from notions of high expectations and demands of the SCI peer mentor role. Being a peer mentor empowered, educated and inspired the peer mentors themselves.

Conclusions

Peer mentors were continuously balancing between being open and vulnerable, and being strong and capable. Personality traits were reported as more important aspects of the role than physical skills. The individual mentor-mentee meetings and relationships were considered more important than the actual training sessions. Feeling part of a community and the norm through meeting others in a similar situation was perceived as a reward and motivation for participating as a peer mentor.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the informants of the current study for their contribution. We also thank RG Active Rehabilitation for facilitating the study, Sophie Jörgensen for contributing to the design of Inter-PEER, and Andrew Strong for valuable proofreading assistance.

Funding

Funding

The current study was funded in part by the Promobilia Foundation.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Gunilla Stenberg, Anestis Divanoglou.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    Josefine Lindén & Gunilla Stenberg

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

    Anestis Divanoglou

Authors
  1. Josefine Lindén
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  2. Gunilla Stenberg
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  3. Anestis Divanoglou
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Contributions

The manuscript is based on the Master project by JL, supervised by GS and AD. AD conceived inter-PEER and is the principal investigator. All authors contributed to the design of the study. JL collected all data. Data analysis was conducted by JL with input by GS and AD. JL wrote the first draft of the manuscript with input by AD and GS. All authors reviewed and edited subsequent versions of the manuscript. AD and Sophie Jörgensen prepared the ethics application and secured funding. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anestis Divanoglou.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

This study is part of the larger project Inter-PEER and was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority, DNR 2018/313–31/5; 2019–01032. All informants in the study received written and oral information about the study. Before the interviews, all informants were informed that participation was voluntary and that they did not have to answer questions that made them feel uncomfortable, and that they at any time could choose to stop the interview and drop out of the study with no consequences. Written consent was received from all informants.

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Lindén, J., Stenberg, G. & Divanoglou, A. The vulnerable superhero—a qualitative study investigating how spinal cord injury peer mentors experience their role in Active Rehabilitation training programs. Spinal Cord 61, 541–547 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-023-00923-0

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