Characteristics, motivations and experiences of volunteer befrienders for people with mental illness: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Table 2 Motivations of volunteer befrienders

Getting
Tombs et al., 2003 [17]	“undergraduates and graduates enquiring about shadowing or unpaid placements in order to gain experience for clinical training”
Tombs et al., 2003 [17]	“to gain assistant and research assistant post”
Klug et al., 2018 [19]	“Curious to find out if I am suitable for the role”
	“Test out career aspirations”
	“Enhance my awareness of mental health issues”
	“Befriending looks good on my CV”
	“To gain psychologically relevant experience (for my career)”
	“Acquire new skills”
	“Meet new people”
	“Find explanations for my own behaviour”
	“Have close contact with others”
	“To feel like a better person”
	“To feel needed and acknowledged”
	“To be accepted and liked”
Giving
Kingdon et al., 1989 [15]	“a practical way of giving something back after being helped”
Coe et al., 2013 [14]	“I wanted to give something back to the community really and I feel that I have done that. Um. It’s kind of made me feel accepted in a way”
Klug et al., 2018 [19]	“I have received voluntary help in the past, and wanted to give something back”
	“Feel responsibility to help others”
	“Helping others is part of my philosophy of life”
	“Helping others is part of my religious belief”
	“I wanted to do something useful with my spare time”

ISSN: 1471-244X