Providing peer support can benefit youth peer support workers (peers)et by supporting self-determination, recovery and resilience to self-stigma. There is a need to clarify the role of the organisation in providing benefits for peers. We aimed to identify the organisational contexts and mechanisms that result in the creation of healthy workplaces for peers.
Rapid realist review guided by the Realist and Meta-Narrative Evidence Syntheses–Evolving Standards guidelines and Pawson’s iterative approach.
MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, SocINDEX, Google Scholar and Embase were searched from 1979 to 2025.
We included qualitative and quantitative peer-reviewed studies and grey literature that captured characteristics of organisational practices and employment considerations in youth peer support programmes.
Articles were screened independently by multiple reviewers. Inclusion criteria were adjusted to capture literature on organisational practices, and employment considerations for youth peer support programmes. Data were extracted and analysed retroductively to develop Context-Mechanism-Outcome Configurations (CMOCs).
Five employment-related risks to peer well-being were identified: (1) difficulty entering the job market, (2) lack of role clarity, (3) pressure to live up to ideals, (4) retraumatisation and (5) stigma. Six CMOCs were developed; all focused on the creation of equitable employment and supporting peer development and empowerment were developed.
Community-based mental health organisations can facilitate equitable peer employment through strategies that reduce professional stigma, enhance peer resilience and promote professional and personal development. Policy reform that addresses precarious work conditions is needed to support healthy work environments.
Objetivo principal: Explorar las barreras percibidas para el autocuidado de la salud sexual de una mujer cisgénero de 57 años en situación de trabajadora sexual. Metodología: Se abordó un relato biográfico de naturaleza cualitativa, constructivista y fenomenológica. Resultados principales: Del análisis sistemático y de contenido, emergieron los temas: el trabajo sexual como una alternativa de vida; el estigma y la discriminación por la identidad ocupacional; la falta de una atención en salud preventiva, humanizada e incluyente; la necesaria autoestima para autocuidarse; la psicología informal como método de cribaje del cliente; el saber profesional en prácticas protectoras y de cuidado; las brechas y dificultades para el uso del condón masculino; y la necesidad de una política pública con mirada de género e inclusiva. Conclusión: La narrativa refleja la necesidad de afrontar las barreras para el autocuidado de la salud sexual, mediante metodologías participativas e inclusivas que promuevan la cooperación de políticas, estrategias e intervenciones en salud preventiva congruentes con las necesidades de las mujeres trabajadoras sexuales.