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22: Buddy Support Programs

Other Management Modalities » Population & Community-based Interventions
22: Buddy Support Programs

There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against buddy support programs to prevent suicide, suicide attempts, or suicidal ideation.

Strength:

Neither for nor against

Category:

ReviewedNew-added

Grades and Definitions

Strong for
or "We recommend offering this option …"
Weak for
or "We suggest offering this option …"
No recommendation
or "There is insufficient evidence …"
Weak against
or "We suggest not offering this option …"
Strong against
or "We recommend against offering this option …"

Categories and Definitions

Evidence Reviewed* Recommendation Category* Definition*
Reviewed New-added New recommendation following review of the evidence
New-replaced Recommendation from previous CPG that has been carried over to the updated CPG that has been changed following review of the evidence
Not changed Recommendation from previous CPG that has been carried forward to the updated CPG where the evidence has been reviewed but the recommendation is not changed
Amended Recommendation from the previous CPG that has been carried forward to the updated CPG where the evidence has been reviewed and a minor amendment has been made
Deleted Recommendation from the previous CPG that has been removed based on review of the evidence
Not reviewed Not changed Recommendation from previous CPG that has been carried forward to the updated CPG, but for which the evidence has not been reviewed
Amended Recommendation from the previous CPG that has been carried forward to the updated CPG where the evidence has not been reviewed and a minor amendment has been made
Deleted Recommendation from the previous CPG that has been removed because it was deemed out of scope for the updated CPG
*Adapted from the NICE guideline manual (2012): The guidelines manual. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence;2012. and Martinez Garcia L, McFarlane E, Barnes S, Sanabria AJ, Alonso-Coello P, Alderson P. Updated recommendations: An assessment of NICE clinical guidelines. Implement Sci. 2014;9:72.

Recommendation Resources

There are limited data/publications specifically studying "Buddy Support Programs" that serve Veterans and aim to decrease suicidality. The publications that did address Buddy Support Programs found evidence that some Veterans were dissatisfied, or that there is not enough evidence to support the widespread implementation of such programs. There is, however, a body of research that indicates that peer support groups do have a positive impact on mental health engagement.

Training Resources

This section includes links to information about Buddy Support Programs.

Battle Buddies After Service: The Significance of Peer Support
Veteran Sisters Battle Buddy Program
Volunteers of America Veteran Peer Support Programs: Battle Buddy Bridge
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Manuals

This section includes links to treatment and/or implementation manuals about Buddy Support Programs.

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons Veterans Battle Buddy Program (B3)
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Podcasts

This section includes links to podcast highlighting Buddy Support Programs.

Battle Buddy Podcast
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Videos

This section includes links to videos highlighting Buddy Support Programs.

Called to Serve: The Battle Buddy Bridge Program
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Articles

This section includes links to recommended articles about Buddy Support Programs.

Azevedo, K. J., Ramirez, J. C., Kumar, A., LeFevre, A., Factor, A., Hailu, E., Lindley, S. E., & Jain, S. (2020). Rethinking Violence Prevention in Rural and Underserved Communities: How Veteran Peer Support Groups Help Participants Deal with Sequelae from Violent Traumatic Experiences. The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 36(2), 266-273. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12362
Goetter, E. M., Bui, E., Weiner, T. P., Lakin, L., Furlong, T., & Simon, N. M. (2018). Pilot data of a brief veteran peer intervention and its relationship to mental health treatment engagement. Psychological services, 15(4), 453-456. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000151
Greden, J. F., Valenstein, M., Spinner, J., Blow, A., Gorman, L. A., Dalack, G. W., Marcus, S., & Kees, M. (2010). Buddy-to-Buddy, a citizen soldier peer support program to counteract stigma, PTSD, depression, and suicide. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1208, 90-97. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05719.x
Sall, J., Brenner, L., Millikan Bell, A. M., & Colston, M. J. (2019). Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide: Synopsis of the 2019 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines. Annals of internal medicine, 171(5), 343-353. https://doi.org/10.7326/M19-0687
Turner, N. R., Hardiman, E. R., Matteson, A. L., & Fletcher, S. (2022). Pathways to program entry: Factors promoting entry and participation in veteran peer-support programs. Evaluation and program planning, 92, 102078. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2022.102078
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