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The psychological well‐being of renal peer support volunteers

Aim of the study. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of renal peer support volunteers (PSVs) and explore the effects on their psychological well‐being from helping others.

Background. Dialysis patients, transplant patients and family members who become renal PSVs receive special training in empathy, listening, self‐awareness and problem solving. The trained renal PSVs offer a unique service to others struggling to learn to live with renal failure because they have faced the same struggles.

Methods. This exploratory study utilized a longitudinal design. The first time for data collection was immediately after the volunteers had completed a Kidney Foundation of Canada training programme. Subsequent interviews were at time intervals of 4, 8 and 12 months after the first interview. Information on the psychological well …