First Advisor

Greg Townley

Term of Graduation

Winter 2026

Date of Publication

4-3-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Psychology

Department

Psychology

Language

English

Subjects

Certified peer specialist, Employment of people with disabilities, Mental health workforce, Peer support, Workforce retention

Physical Description

1 online resource (vi, 110 pages)

Abstract

Peer support specialists (PSSs) are individuals who use their lived experience of mental health challenges along with formal training to provide peer support to other individuals experiencing similar challenges. PSSs have only become integrated into the mental health care system within the last several decades. Recently, a study reported a trend of PSSs leaving the field of peer support, but there is a gap in the literature exploring factors that may influence this decision. This study examined if self-efficacy, motivations to join the workforce, and negative work experiences were related to workforce retention. A secondary cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a longitudinal dataset of certified PSSs from four states and included 365 participants who responded to a question in the final survey pertaining to plans to remain in the peer support workforce, the outcome variable for this study. Hierarchical logistic regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between the independent and outcome variables for the 283 participants included in the final analyses. Age, education level, and peer service job experience were significant predictors of workforce retention, such that older age, not having a college degree, and experience working in a peer service job were associated with a greater likelihood to report plans to remain in the peer support field. Self-efficacy, motivation to pursue certification, and the number of challenges in finding or keeping peer service jobs may have also been associated with workforce retention but warrant further exploration due to limitations with sample size and statistical power. This study has implications for state certifying entities, organizations that employ PSSs, and individuals who are interested in becoming or already work as a PSS, by expanding on what is currently known about workforce challenges and providing recommendations for how to improve recruitment and retention efforts. Further, this is one of the first studies to examine PSS workforce retention and quantitatively examine reasons associated with leaving the field of peer support.

Rights

© 2026 Morgan Rae Pelot

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44621

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