Peer Support Formation and the Promotion of Recovery Among People Using Psychiatric Day Care in Japan

The present study aimed to clarify the process of peer support formation and the promotion of recovery in people using psychiatric day care. From January to March 2014, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants with mental illness living in the community in Japan. The qualitative data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. The results described a two-stage process: (1) awareness of peers with similar disability and distress and (2) formation and utilization of peer support. These results suggest that adjusting the environment and engaging in activities assisting others are useful for facilitating peer support and promoting the recovery of users in psychiatric day care.