Peer Support in Behavioral Health care: why it can work in the Latinx context

Individuals of Latin American background are less likely to engage in mental health care and underutilize mental health services than other racial and ethnic groups. The low rates of service engagement among the Latinx community in the United States (U.S.) can partially be attributed to service systems that lack culturally and linguistically responsive healthcare approaches. Research has shown that culturally centered interventions promoting Latinx cultural values report improved engagement and satisfaction in mental health care treatment and services. One culturally informed approach to effective engagement is using peer support; that is, the hiring of people with lived experiences of mental illness and addictions as peer supporters to assist those going through similar lived experiences. Research studies measuring the effectiveness of peer support approaches have shown improvements in the lives of those receiving peer supports, such as an increased sense of hope, quality of life, and well-being; decreased hospitalizations and ER visits; and decreased substance use and criminal justice involvement. Peer support within the Latinx context seems a natural fit given its shared collective values (e.g., simpatia, personalismo, respeto, confianza, familismo). This paper will discuss how peer support values map onto collectivistic values; and how Latinx values can be further infused in the training, development, and supervision of peer supporters to enhance culturally responsive care.