The role of non-human actors and the body in peer support groups for children of parents with mental illness

This article employs ideas from the ontological turn and Actor-Network Theory to examine peer support groups for children of parents with mental illness. Analysing video recordings of group sessions, the article reveals that ‘how’ peer support is enacted do not solely depend on the children and group facilitators. Non-human actors and the body play a crucial role in shaping peer support communities, producing diverse outcomes depending on the assemblage they are part of. The article shows how decentring the child can provide new insights relevant to our understanding of children and peer support.