Peer Group Support In Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: A Scoping Review

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) represents a significant global health challenge due to its long-term physical, psychological, and social consequences. Individuals living with SCI often experience reduced independence, secondary complications, emotional distress, and barriers to community reintegration. Peer group support has been identified as a promising strategy to enhance social connectedness, improve psychological adjustment, and strengthen self-management. However, existing evidence remains fragmented due to variations in intervention formats, delivery methods, and reported outcomes. This scoping review aims to systematically map the available evidence on peer group support interventions for individuals with SCI. The review will identify the types of peer group support interventions implemented, examine their characteristics, and map the outcomes associated with these interventions. The review is guided by the Population, Concept and Context (PCC) framework, where the population includes individuals with SCI, the concept focuses on peer group support interventions, and the context is community setting. The review will follow the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines and apply the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework for scoping reviews. Electronic databases including ScienceDirect, EBSCO, CINAHL, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health, SAGE Journals, and PubMed will be searched. Hand searching will be conducted to identify additional relevant studies. Search strategies will incorporate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and relevant free-text keywords. Study screening and selection will be conducted using Rayyan. The findings are expected to systematically map the current evidence on the forms and outcomes of peer group support interventions among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) within community settings through a scoping review.