Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Nursing

Advisor

Leslie C. Hussey

Abstract

Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRSs) are individuals with lived experience in the successful recovery of substance use or mental health disorders. CPRSs provide services for individuals seeking or enrolled in substance use disorder (SUD) recovery, provide mentoring and coaching, service and resource connections and lead recovery groups but, the job of a CPRS can have beneficial and detrimental impacts on the CPRS’s personal recovery. The purpose of this quantitative study, guided by Lazarus’s theory of coping and stress, was to determine whether there is (a) a relationship in stress and coping effectiveness among CPRSs, (b) a difference in the level of stress and coping among SUD CPRSs with 5 or more years in personal recovery and SUD CPRSs with less than 5 years in personal recovery, and (c) a difference in the level of stress and coping among SUD CPRSs with 5 or more years of employment as a SUD CPRS compared to SUD CPRSs with less than 5 years of employment. Data were collected from 141 participants using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and Work Stress Scale. Results from my study demonstrated that there is a difference in stress and coping between CPRSs with 5 or more years of personal recovery with a small effect, but there was no relationship in the level of stress and coping among SUD CPRSs. Future studies are needed on identifying benefits of stress and coping training among SUD CPRSs, testing the relationship between years of employment as a CPRS and stress and coping, and a quasi-experimental design with sufficient sample size to determine the effect of stress and coping training. The results show the need for CPRS training to focus on known stressors and provide positive coping strategies which affect positive social change.

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