Filipa Campos | Universidade do Porto (original) (raw)

Papers by Filipa Campos

Research paper thumbnail of Mental Health Literacy and Stigma in a Municipality in the North of Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Portugal has Europe’s second-highest prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, and this is the reason ... more Portugal has Europe’s second-highest prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, and this is the reason why mental health literacy (MHL) and stigma should be addressed. This study aimed to investigate the mental health literacy and stigma levels among different groups of people from Póvoa de Varzim, a municipality in the north of Portugal. Students, retired people, and professionals (education, social, and healthcare fields) were recruited using a convenience sample from June to November 2022. Participants’ MHL levels were evaluated using the Mental Health Promoting Knowledge Scale (MHPK), Mental Health Literacy Measure (MHLM) and Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS). Stigma levels were evaluated using Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) and the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS). A total of 928 questionnaires were filed. The respondents included 65.70% of women, a mean age of 43.63 (±26.71) years and 9.87 (±4.39) years of school education. MHL increased with age...

Research paper thumbnail of Projeto sincronias : uma experiência de integração

Vários autores e entidades internacionais de referência têm determinado em documentos orientadore... more Vários autores e entidades internacionais de referência têm determinado em documentos orientadores para os cuidados de psiquiatria e reabilitação psicossocial a pessoas com experiência de doença mental, a utilização de atividades artísticas como boa prática, já com alguma evidência, na promoção do recovery, participação social e qualidade de vida. O projeto Sincronias, resultante da parceria estabelecida entre a Associação Nova Aurora na Reabilitação e Reintegração Psicossocial (ANARP), a Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico do Porto (ESE) e o Laboratório de Reabilitação Psicossocial da ESTSIPP/FPCEUP, tem precisamente como objetivo contribuir para o desenvolvimento pessoal e inserção social de pessoas com experiência de doença mental grave, através do seu envolvimento num programa de atividades artísticas personalizado, ajustado às necessidades e perfil dos seus participantes, que facilite a criatividade, a expressão e o crescimento pessoal através das artes. O prog...

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI) for the Portuguese population

RevSALUS, Jan 28, 2022

Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) a saúde não é apenas a ausência de doença ou de sint... more Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) a saúde não é apenas a ausência de doença ou de sintomas, mas sim "um estado de bem-estar físico, mental e social completo" (World

Research paper thumbnail of Translation, adaptation, and contribution to the validation of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for the Portuguese population

RevSALUS, Aug 24, 2022

Introdução O conceito de Bem-Estar Mental tem ganho mais destaque internacionalmente, sendo um as... more Introdução O conceito de Bem-Estar Mental tem ganho mais destaque internacionalmente, sendo um aspeto crucial da saúde, com impacto na funcionalidade. Assim, em Portugal, impõe-se a necessidade de possuir medidas validadas que avaliem o bem-estar das populações. Objetivo: Traduzir, adaptar culturalmente e contribuir para validar a Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), que avalia o bem-estar mental subjetivo e psicológico, para a população portuguesa. Material e Métodos: Após a aprovação da tradução portuguesa por um painel de peritos, a escala foi aplicada a 1728 indivíduos da área metropolitana do Porto recrutados por conveniência, bem como o Índice de Felicidade de Pemberton, para uma análise da validade de critério. Utilizou-se o alpha de Cronbach para avaliar a consistência interna e uma análise fatorial exploratória para a validade de construto. Ambos os instrumentos foram aplicados duas vezes a 39 participantes, com aproximadamente uma semana de intervalo, para testar a fiabilidade testereteste. Resultados: Obteve-se um alpha de Cronbach de 0,91, sugerindo uma consistência interna muito boa. A análise fatorial confirmou a unidimensionalidade do instrumento, com todos os itens a saturarem um único fator. Verificou-se uma alta correlação entre a WEMWBS e o instrumento usado como medida de critério, com r=0,75. A fiabilidade testereteste obteve uma alta correlação, com r=0,77. Conclusão: Os valores obtidos neste primeiro estudo de validação da WEMWBS para a população portuguesa encontram-se próximos dos da versão original, podendo ser considerado como um contributo legítimo e importante para a sua concretização.

Research paper thumbnail of Caracterização dos estilos de vida dos sem-abrigo da cidade do Porto

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the Mental Health Promoting Knowledge Scale (MHPK-10) for the Portuguese population

RevSALUS - Revista Científica da Rede Académica das Ciências da Saúde da Lusofonia

Introduction: Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and abilities needed to promote ment... more Introduction: Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and abilities needed to promote mental health, and valid and comprehensive measures are needed to assess it. In Portugal, there are few validated measures to assess knowledge about the factors that promote positive mental health. Objective: To translate and culturally adapt the MHPK-10 to the Portuguese population. Material and Methods: The sample was recruited through a nonprobabilistic method, for convenience, in several institutions of the Porto Metropolitan Area and through an online questionnaire. The validation included the translation and cultural adaptation of the MHPK-10 original version and the analysis of the psychometric properties: reliability—test-retest and internal consistency, content validity, construct validity and criterion validity. Results: The sample consisted of 1,728 individuals aged between 14 and 95 years. The internal consistency value is reasonable (α= 0.79), and the test-retest values (r=0.72)...

Research paper thumbnail of Formação para prestadores de suporte interpares: manual do formador

Research paper thumbnail of O meu Guia para a Habitação

Este manual destina-se a indivíduos com problemas de Saúde Mental, tendo como objetivo promover o... more Este manual destina-se a indivíduos com problemas de Saúde Mental, tendo como objetivo promover o desenvolvimento de competências necessárias à aquisição e manutenção de uma habitação, no sentido de favorecer a inclusão dos mesmos na comunidade.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Research paper thumbnail of Practical guidelines on peer support for people with psychiatric disabilities: a online survey

Research paper thumbnail of Peer support for people with mental illness

Revista de Psiquiatria Clínica, 2014

Background: Peer support is a mutual aid system based on the belief that someone who faced/overco... more Background: Peer support is a mutual aid system based on the belief that someone who faced/overcome adversity can provide support, encouragement and guidance to those who experience similar situations. Objective: To conduct a systematic review that describes this concept and characterizes peer supporters, its practice and efficacy. Method: Research on ISI Web of Science, EBSCO Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection and Medline databases (from 2001 to December 2013) was conducted using as keywords "mental illness", "mental health", "psychiatric disability", "mental health services", combined with "peer support", "mutual support", "self-help groups", "consumers as providers", "peer-run services", "peer-run programs" and "social support". Results: We found 1,566 articles and the application of both the exclusion (studies with children, teenagers and elderly people; disease in comorbidity; peer support associated to physical illnesses or family members/caregivers) and the inclusion criteria (full text scientific papers, peer support or similar groups directed for schizophrenia, depression, bipolar or psychotic disorders) lead to 165 documents, where 22 were excluded due to repetition and 31 to incomplete text. We analyzed 112 documents, identifying as main peer support categories: characterization, peer supporter, practices and efficacy. Discussion: Despite an increasing interest about this topic, there is no consensus, suggesting realizing more studies.

Research paper thumbnail of P-1186 - The recovery process of persons living with psychiatric disabilities: values and principles of nova aurora community association psychosocial rehabilitation program

European Psychiatry, 2012

Introduction: The Nova Aurora Community Association psychosocial rehabilitation program was devel... more Introduction: The Nova Aurora Community Association psychosocial rehabilitation program was developed based in the most current values of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Some nuclear assumptions were considered, such as a) suppressing the disease stigma, b) defocusing from the mental ill role, promoting empowerment and self-determination, c) developing personal competencies directly related to the individuals' social integration specific context (readiness, cognitive, social, emotional stress management, employability). Purpose: To present the rational of this program and the outcomes of a pilot study designed to test if this psychiatric rehabilitation program effectively helps persons living with psychiatric disabilities become more successful and satisfied in living, learning, working, and social environments of their choice. Methods: The program is being implemented for 13 months to 38 persons living with psychiatric disabilities and it is developed in 2 main levels: a) tranversal competencies (neurocognitive, stress and illness management, healthy lifestyle, self efficacy and anti-self-stigma); b) specific competencies directly related to the individuals' social integration specific context (employability/ housing, social cognition, etc). All users still frequent an empowerment center and develop sport and leisure activities. It is also available home support and family psicoeducation. The program effectiveness assessment integrated pre and post tests, evaluating all these different functional domains and life quality and program satisfaction. Results: Preliminary results point towards very positive outcomes, specifically regarding personal competencies development, satisfaction level with the program, reduction of relapse, and absence rates. Conclusions: Although these results are promising, this research is an initial step in establishing the efficiency of this rehabilitation program.

Research paper thumbnail of P-873 - Characteristics and life styles of the homeless adults in the city of Porto, Portugal

European Psychiatry, 2012

Introduction: The phenomenon of homelessness is steadily increasing in urban centers, including i... more Introduction: The phenomenon of homelessness is steadily increasing in urban centers, including in Porto, Portugal, which is a reality not well characterized yet. Some studies have been conducted on this issue, although few focus on the homelessness lifestyle. However this topic seems to be of great interest to study, since it is known that lifestyle affects health and long term patterns of morbidity and mortality. Aims: The purpose of this study is to characterize homelessness and their lifestyles, exploring correlations with psychopathological symptomatology. Methods: 29 homelessness of Porto, Portugal, were inquired by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-18 items) and a lifestyle questionnaire (Valente et al., 2009), adapted from the "Dartmouth Assessment of Lifestyle Inventory" (Ford, 2002) and the "Questionário de Atitudes e Comportamentos de Saúde" (Ribeiro, 2004). Results: Homelessness profiles are in majority male, single, with Portuguese nationality and with low education level. Most of them have unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and absence physical exercise. However they care about personal hygiene, and demonstrate good sleeping patterns. In terms of psychopathological symptomatology it were identified anxiety, somatic concern, and depressed mood negatively correlated with diverse lifestyle indicators (e.g. stress, sleep hygiene, nutrition, insight, and socialization). Conclusions: These results reveal that Porto's homelessness profile is similar to general homelessness profiles described by recent international studies. It was also possible to conclude that homelessness lifestyles are characterisd by risky behaviours as well as by psychopathological symptomatology, which seems to be directly correlated.

Research paper thumbnail of Peer support for people with mental illness = Suporte interpares na doença mental

Research paper thumbnail of Aplicação do Relation Play em crianças com perturbação autista

Este estudo teve como objectivo verificar a eficácia de um programa de Relation play em crianças ... more Este estudo teve como objectivo verificar a eficácia de um programa de Relation play em crianças com Perturbação Autista, incidindo na comunicação não verbal e de interacção social. A amostra foi constituída por 3 crianças com Perturbação Autista. Foi realizado um estudo de caso quantitativo de carácter pré-experimental do tipo ABA. Os participantes foram submetidos a um programa de Relation Play constituído por 13 sessões, duas vezes por semana. O instrumento utilizado foi uma lista de verificação de comportamentos. Verificaram-se melhorias em alguns aspectos da comunicação não verbal e interacção social.

Research paper thumbnail of Directrices prácticas para programas de apoyo entre personas con enfermedad mental

Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, 2014

This study aims to determine the guiding principles for the implementation of peer support progra... more This study aims to determine the guiding principles for the implementation of peer support programmes in Portugal. The study was divided in 2 phases. In the first phase a systematic review of 112 papers indexed in ISI and EBSCO databases (2001 to 2012) was conducted. In the second phase clinicians, researchers, and people with psychiatric disabilities were invited to take part in a two-round online survey based on the Delphi process to rate the importance of statements generated from the systematic review. Data were analysed with NVivo 9 and SPSS 19. During the Delphi round 72 experts were contacted, 44 participated in the second round. A consensus was achieved on major statements, with 84% of the sentences obtaining a consensus and 8 key recommendations covering goals of peer support, selection of peer supporters, training and accreditation, role of mental health professionals, role of peer supporters, access to peer supporters, looking after peer supporters, and programme evaluation were based on these statements. Use of peer support for mental health problems is still underexplored and surrounded by some controversy and ambiguity. However, its organization and proper monitoring appears to enhance the quality of life and social inclusion of people with mental illness. This highlights the importance of conducting studies that increase our knowledge of these programmes and determining guidelines for their implementation. This national consensus may be used as a starting point for the design and implementation of peer support programmes in mental health organizations.

Research paper thumbnail of Mental Health Literacy and Stigma in a Municipality in the North of Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Portugal has Europe’s second-highest prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, and this is the reason ... more Portugal has Europe’s second-highest prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, and this is the reason why mental health literacy (MHL) and stigma should be addressed. This study aimed to investigate the mental health literacy and stigma levels among different groups of people from Póvoa de Varzim, a municipality in the north of Portugal. Students, retired people, and professionals (education, social, and healthcare fields) were recruited using a convenience sample from June to November 2022. Participants’ MHL levels were evaluated using the Mental Health Promoting Knowledge Scale (MHPK), Mental Health Literacy Measure (MHLM) and Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS). Stigma levels were evaluated using Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) and the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS). A total of 928 questionnaires were filed. The respondents included 65.70% of women, a mean age of 43.63 (±26.71) years and 9.87 (±4.39) years of school education. MHL increased with age...

Research paper thumbnail of Projeto sincronias : uma experiência de integração

Vários autores e entidades internacionais de referência têm determinado em documentos orientadore... more Vários autores e entidades internacionais de referência têm determinado em documentos orientadores para os cuidados de psiquiatria e reabilitação psicossocial a pessoas com experiência de doença mental, a utilização de atividades artísticas como boa prática, já com alguma evidência, na promoção do recovery, participação social e qualidade de vida. O projeto Sincronias, resultante da parceria estabelecida entre a Associação Nova Aurora na Reabilitação e Reintegração Psicossocial (ANARP), a Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico do Porto (ESE) e o Laboratório de Reabilitação Psicossocial da ESTSIPP/FPCEUP, tem precisamente como objetivo contribuir para o desenvolvimento pessoal e inserção social de pessoas com experiência de doença mental grave, através do seu envolvimento num programa de atividades artísticas personalizado, ajustado às necessidades e perfil dos seus participantes, que facilite a criatividade, a expressão e o crescimento pessoal através das artes. O prog...

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI) for the Portuguese population

RevSALUS, Jan 28, 2022

Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) a saúde não é apenas a ausência de doença ou de sint... more Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) a saúde não é apenas a ausência de doença ou de sintomas, mas sim "um estado de bem-estar físico, mental e social completo" (World

Research paper thumbnail of Translation, adaptation, and contribution to the validation of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for the Portuguese population

RevSALUS, Aug 24, 2022

Introdução O conceito de Bem-Estar Mental tem ganho mais destaque internacionalmente, sendo um as... more Introdução O conceito de Bem-Estar Mental tem ganho mais destaque internacionalmente, sendo um aspeto crucial da saúde, com impacto na funcionalidade. Assim, em Portugal, impõe-se a necessidade de possuir medidas validadas que avaliem o bem-estar das populações. Objetivo: Traduzir, adaptar culturalmente e contribuir para validar a Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), que avalia o bem-estar mental subjetivo e psicológico, para a população portuguesa. Material e Métodos: Após a aprovação da tradução portuguesa por um painel de peritos, a escala foi aplicada a 1728 indivíduos da área metropolitana do Porto recrutados por conveniência, bem como o Índice de Felicidade de Pemberton, para uma análise da validade de critério. Utilizou-se o alpha de Cronbach para avaliar a consistência interna e uma análise fatorial exploratória para a validade de construto. Ambos os instrumentos foram aplicados duas vezes a 39 participantes, com aproximadamente uma semana de intervalo, para testar a fiabilidade testereteste. Resultados: Obteve-se um alpha de Cronbach de 0,91, sugerindo uma consistência interna muito boa. A análise fatorial confirmou a unidimensionalidade do instrumento, com todos os itens a saturarem um único fator. Verificou-se uma alta correlação entre a WEMWBS e o instrumento usado como medida de critério, com r=0,75. A fiabilidade testereteste obteve uma alta correlação, com r=0,77. Conclusão: Os valores obtidos neste primeiro estudo de validação da WEMWBS para a população portuguesa encontram-se próximos dos da versão original, podendo ser considerado como um contributo legítimo e importante para a sua concretização.

Research paper thumbnail of Caracterização dos estilos de vida dos sem-abrigo da cidade do Porto

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the Mental Health Promoting Knowledge Scale (MHPK-10) for the Portuguese population

RevSALUS - Revista Científica da Rede Académica das Ciências da Saúde da Lusofonia

Introduction: Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and abilities needed to promote ment... more Introduction: Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and abilities needed to promote mental health, and valid and comprehensive measures are needed to assess it. In Portugal, there are few validated measures to assess knowledge about the factors that promote positive mental health. Objective: To translate and culturally adapt the MHPK-10 to the Portuguese population. Material and Methods: The sample was recruited through a nonprobabilistic method, for convenience, in several institutions of the Porto Metropolitan Area and through an online questionnaire. The validation included the translation and cultural adaptation of the MHPK-10 original version and the analysis of the psychometric properties: reliability—test-retest and internal consistency, content validity, construct validity and criterion validity. Results: The sample consisted of 1,728 individuals aged between 14 and 95 years. The internal consistency value is reasonable (α= 0.79), and the test-retest values (r=0.72)...

Research paper thumbnail of Formação para prestadores de suporte interpares: manual do formador

Research paper thumbnail of O meu Guia para a Habitação

Este manual destina-se a indivíduos com problemas de Saúde Mental, tendo como objetivo promover o... more Este manual destina-se a indivíduos com problemas de Saúde Mental, tendo como objetivo promover o desenvolvimento de competências necessárias à aquisição e manutenção de uma habitação, no sentido de favorecer a inclusão dos mesmos na comunidade.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Research paper thumbnail of Practical guidelines on peer support for people with psychiatric disabilities: a online survey

Research paper thumbnail of Peer support for people with mental illness

Revista de Psiquiatria Clínica, 2014

Background: Peer support is a mutual aid system based on the belief that someone who faced/overco... more Background: Peer support is a mutual aid system based on the belief that someone who faced/overcome adversity can provide support, encouragement and guidance to those who experience similar situations. Objective: To conduct a systematic review that describes this concept and characterizes peer supporters, its practice and efficacy. Method: Research on ISI Web of Science, EBSCO Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection and Medline databases (from 2001 to December 2013) was conducted using as keywords "mental illness", "mental health", "psychiatric disability", "mental health services", combined with "peer support", "mutual support", "self-help groups", "consumers as providers", "peer-run services", "peer-run programs" and "social support". Results: We found 1,566 articles and the application of both the exclusion (studies with children, teenagers and elderly people; disease in comorbidity; peer support associated to physical illnesses or family members/caregivers) and the inclusion criteria (full text scientific papers, peer support or similar groups directed for schizophrenia, depression, bipolar or psychotic disorders) lead to 165 documents, where 22 were excluded due to repetition and 31 to incomplete text. We analyzed 112 documents, identifying as main peer support categories: characterization, peer supporter, practices and efficacy. Discussion: Despite an increasing interest about this topic, there is no consensus, suggesting realizing more studies.

Research paper thumbnail of P-1186 - The recovery process of persons living with psychiatric disabilities: values and principles of nova aurora community association psychosocial rehabilitation program

European Psychiatry, 2012

Introduction: The Nova Aurora Community Association psychosocial rehabilitation program was devel... more Introduction: The Nova Aurora Community Association psychosocial rehabilitation program was developed based in the most current values of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Some nuclear assumptions were considered, such as a) suppressing the disease stigma, b) defocusing from the mental ill role, promoting empowerment and self-determination, c) developing personal competencies directly related to the individuals' social integration specific context (readiness, cognitive, social, emotional stress management, employability). Purpose: To present the rational of this program and the outcomes of a pilot study designed to test if this psychiatric rehabilitation program effectively helps persons living with psychiatric disabilities become more successful and satisfied in living, learning, working, and social environments of their choice. Methods: The program is being implemented for 13 months to 38 persons living with psychiatric disabilities and it is developed in 2 main levels: a) tranversal competencies (neurocognitive, stress and illness management, healthy lifestyle, self efficacy and anti-self-stigma); b) specific competencies directly related to the individuals' social integration specific context (employability/ housing, social cognition, etc). All users still frequent an empowerment center and develop sport and leisure activities. It is also available home support and family psicoeducation. The program effectiveness assessment integrated pre and post tests, evaluating all these different functional domains and life quality and program satisfaction. Results: Preliminary results point towards very positive outcomes, specifically regarding personal competencies development, satisfaction level with the program, reduction of relapse, and absence rates. Conclusions: Although these results are promising, this research is an initial step in establishing the efficiency of this rehabilitation program.

Research paper thumbnail of P-873 - Characteristics and life styles of the homeless adults in the city of Porto, Portugal

European Psychiatry, 2012

Introduction: The phenomenon of homelessness is steadily increasing in urban centers, including i... more Introduction: The phenomenon of homelessness is steadily increasing in urban centers, including in Porto, Portugal, which is a reality not well characterized yet. Some studies have been conducted on this issue, although few focus on the homelessness lifestyle. However this topic seems to be of great interest to study, since it is known that lifestyle affects health and long term patterns of morbidity and mortality. Aims: The purpose of this study is to characterize homelessness and their lifestyles, exploring correlations with psychopathological symptomatology. Methods: 29 homelessness of Porto, Portugal, were inquired by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-18 items) and a lifestyle questionnaire (Valente et al., 2009), adapted from the "Dartmouth Assessment of Lifestyle Inventory" (Ford, 2002) and the "Questionário de Atitudes e Comportamentos de Saúde" (Ribeiro, 2004). Results: Homelessness profiles are in majority male, single, with Portuguese nationality and with low education level. Most of them have unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and absence physical exercise. However they care about personal hygiene, and demonstrate good sleeping patterns. In terms of psychopathological symptomatology it were identified anxiety, somatic concern, and depressed mood negatively correlated with diverse lifestyle indicators (e.g. stress, sleep hygiene, nutrition, insight, and socialization). Conclusions: These results reveal that Porto's homelessness profile is similar to general homelessness profiles described by recent international studies. It was also possible to conclude that homelessness lifestyles are characterisd by risky behaviours as well as by psychopathological symptomatology, which seems to be directly correlated.

Research paper thumbnail of Peer support for people with mental illness = Suporte interpares na doença mental

Research paper thumbnail of Aplicação do Relation Play em crianças com perturbação autista

Este estudo teve como objectivo verificar a eficácia de um programa de Relation play em crianças ... more Este estudo teve como objectivo verificar a eficácia de um programa de Relation play em crianças com Perturbação Autista, incidindo na comunicação não verbal e de interacção social. A amostra foi constituída por 3 crianças com Perturbação Autista. Foi realizado um estudo de caso quantitativo de carácter pré-experimental do tipo ABA. Os participantes foram submetidos a um programa de Relation Play constituído por 13 sessões, duas vezes por semana. O instrumento utilizado foi uma lista de verificação de comportamentos. Verificaram-se melhorias em alguns aspectos da comunicação não verbal e interacção social.

Research paper thumbnail of Directrices prácticas para programas de apoyo entre personas con enfermedad mental

Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, 2014

This study aims to determine the guiding principles for the implementation of peer support progra... more This study aims to determine the guiding principles for the implementation of peer support programmes in Portugal. The study was divided in 2 phases. In the first phase a systematic review of 112 papers indexed in ISI and EBSCO databases (2001 to 2012) was conducted. In the second phase clinicians, researchers, and people with psychiatric disabilities were invited to take part in a two-round online survey based on the Delphi process to rate the importance of statements generated from the systematic review. Data were analysed with NVivo 9 and SPSS 19. During the Delphi round 72 experts were contacted, 44 participated in the second round. A consensus was achieved on major statements, with 84% of the sentences obtaining a consensus and 8 key recommendations covering goals of peer support, selection of peer supporters, training and accreditation, role of mental health professionals, role of peer supporters, access to peer supporters, looking after peer supporters, and programme evaluation were based on these statements. Use of peer support for mental health problems is still underexplored and surrounded by some controversy and ambiguity. However, its organization and proper monitoring appears to enhance the quality of life and social inclusion of people with mental illness. This highlights the importance of conducting studies that increase our knowledge of these programmes and determining guidelines for their implementation. This national consensus may be used as a starting point for the design and implementation of peer support programmes in mental health organizations.