Peer to Peer Mentoring: Facilitating Individuals With Early Inflammatory Arthritis to Manage Their Arthritis: Peer Mentoring Program

Inflammatory arthritis (IA) is a major cause of long-term disability. Peer support may be a solution to the common problem of delayed treatment. Early peer support may result in improved use of therapy, higher self-efficacy, reduced anxiety, and improved coping in the first two years post-diagnosis. The whole intervention study comprises of two parts: The first part involves the development and testing of a peer mentor training initiative, which is called "Peer to Peer Mentoring: Facilitating Individuals with Early Inflammatory Arthritis to Manage their Arthritis - Peer Mentor Training". The second part, which is the focus of this study, involves the delivery of a one-on-one peer support intervention from a trained peer mentor to an individual newly diagnosed with EIA. The feasibility and acceptability of the program will be determined, as well as the health outcomes following the participation of the program.