Assistant Professor University of Toronto/University Health Network University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Adolescents with CHD (AWCHD) experience various symptoms which can restrict social interactions and negatively impact quality of life. AWCHD also face additional challenges related to planning for the transition to adult care. iPeer2Peer is an evidence-based virtual peer mentorship program developed to support youth transitioning to adult care, and has demonstrated improved outcomes in several chronic illness populations. There is limited research on peer mentorship for AWCHD, therefore this study sought to examine the feasibility and acceptability of delivering the iPeer2Peer program to AWCHD.
METHODS AND RESULTS: A convergent, parallel mixed methods pre-post study design was used. AWCHD (13-18 years old) were recruited and matched with trained peer mentors (18-25 years old). Matched dyads completed up to 10 video calls over 15-weeks. Primary outcomes focused on engagement and acceptability (i.e., accrual, withdrawal, number of calls, qualitative feedback). Secondary outcomes focused on estimates of program effectiveness for this population (i.e., transition readiness, quality of life, self-efficacy, etc.).
Study results demonstrated a participant accrual rate of 25% (19/76), and an enrolment rate of 95% (18/19). Eighteen adolescents (mean age 16.5, 50% women) were enrolled with a range of CHD diagnoses (the majority had moderate-complex CHD). Adherence to the study protocol was strong, with 74% of mentees completing study measures at program end (T2) and at 6 months post program (T3).The average number of calls per pair was 7.25 and average call length was 40.25 minutes. Transition readiness and self-management increased across program timepoints (with statistically significant improvement from baseline to 6-month-follow-up), and aligned with qualitative results that illustrated the benefits of social support in the transition to adult care.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated the iPeer2Peer program was acceptable in this population. AWCHD were highly engaged and described the benefits of peer support during the transition process. Clinical programs may consider implementing similarly structured peer mentorship initiatives as a unique form of psychosocial support during the transition adult care, and future research may consider employing a randomized controlled trial design to demonstrate program effectiveness.
