Training young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions to deliver a peer mentoring intervention

Summary:  View help for Summary Recent estimates suggest that youth and young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) may be diagnosed with mental health conditions 4-5 times more often than peers without disabilities. Not only are mental health conditions associated with decreased community participation and quality of life, but recent research has identified that individuals with disabilities may have 3.5 the odds of suicidal ideation compared to people without disabilities and are more likely to be hospitalized and live in institutional settings. Mental health challenges are particularly important to address during transition to adulthood, as the novel demands of independent living and post-secondary education contribute to additional mental health challenges. These cumulative stressors during young adulthood may exacerbate existing mental health symptoms and challenges; such challenges have been associated with difficulty achieving transition-related objectives, such as employment and independent living. To mitigate the negative impact of mental health symptoms on transition, it is critical to identify interventions that effectively address these challenges for young adults with IDD and co-occurring mental health conditions (IDD-MH).

This study builds upon a peer mentoring intervention that addresses identification and utilization of coping strategies to reduce challenging mental health symptoms for young adults with IDD-MH. In this peer mentoring intervention, a young adult with IDD-MH serves as the peer mentor. Feasibility testing of this intervention suggested that the intervention was feasible and had potential promise to improve young adults’ mental health. However, we observed that some content and skills were difficult for mentors to deliver with high levels of fidelity. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to expand, refine, and adapt the previously developed peer mentoring training protocol and to evaluate its preliminary efficacy for supporting high-fidelity peer mentoring delivery. 


In this study, we will collaborated with an advisory board composed of experts in peer-delivered mental health services to refine the existing training protocol, develop additional training activities, and adapt the protocol for virtual delivery. The new protocol targeted content and quality criteria implemented with <80% average fidelity across mentors and sessions in the preliminary study. Next, we evaluated the preliminary efficacy of the expanded, refined, and adapted peer mentoring training protocol on peer mentors’ ability to meet fidelity criteria. After receiving training, mentors delivered the 16-week peer mentoring intervention to 12 participants. We evaluated fidelity to content and quality criteria. Concurrently, we collected data about potential efficacy of the peer mentoring intervention on participants by gathering self-reported data about participants’ self-efficacy for managing emotions, mental health symptoms, and mood at three time points: pre-intervention (2-weeks prior), post-intervention (within 1 week of concluding the intervention), and follow-up (4-weeks post intervention). 

Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources United States Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Community Living. National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (90SFGE0031)

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms peer mentoring; mental health; intellectual and developmental disability

Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States

Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 4/1/2022 – 5/15/2023

Universe:  View help for Universe Young adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions

Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) observational data; survey data

Sampling:  View help for Sampling Convenience sample, recruited nationally

Collection Mode(s):  View help for Collection Mode(s) coded video observation; web-based survey