Evaluating the impact of a peer coaching intervention on well-being amongst psychology undergraduate students

Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of a peer coaching intervention on aspects of well-being in students. Design: A two-factor mixed design was employed. Method: Two groups of third-year undergraduate psychology students participated in this study. The coaching group (N=32) comprised 24 females and eight males (mean age 25.23, SD=8.07) who were studying coaching psychology. This group was introduced to a model of coaching and practiced skills during lectures/seminars. They subsequently conducted and received five sessions of peer coaching before an examination period. The control group (N=33) comprised 30 females and three males (mean age 24.77, SD=5.57). This group were also third-year students, but were not studying coaching psychology or engaged in peer coaching. Measures were taken at Time 1 (pre-coaching intervention) and Time 2 (post-coaching intervention). Demographic data was obtained and the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg, 1992) and the Inventory of Personal Problems (Berkham et al., 1996), were utilised. The topics covered in coaching sessions and the perceived effectiveness of the technique were examined at Time 2. Results: Levels of psychological distress were high at both data points. Findings highlighted significant differences in outcome variables for both groups between Times 1 and 2. Nonetheless, the increase in psychological distress was significantly lower in the peer coaching group. The most common topics covered in coaching sessions were relationships, health and career issues and 67 per cent of the sample found the intervention to be at least moderately effective. Conclusions: Findings highlight the potential value of peer coaching in helping students manage their well-being during a potentially stressful period. Follow-up research is ongoing to examine ways of extending this technique in university settings.