City Research Online

Abstract

Background
A growing literature explores the coproduction of research knowledge. Barriers to coproduction in mental health research have been identified, especially for the people from marginalized communities. There is an established body of participatory research that has potential to inform coproduction in mental health research.

Objectives
To explore and articulate how learning from community participatory approaches to research enable barriers to knowledge coproduction to be overcome in mental health research.

Setting
An evaluation of a primary care mental health service, led by an experienced survivor researcher, supported by a health service researcher and involving a team of community co‐researchers.

Design
Cycles of reflective writing (first‐person narrative) by the authors, and feedback from the co‐researcher team, on their experiences of undertaking the evaluation were used to explore the ways in which community actors, including those from marginalized communities, might be meaningfully involved in producing research knowledge about mental health services.

Results
A space was created where community co‐researchers, including those from traditionally marginalized communities, felt safe and empowered to move beyond essentialized “service user” identities and bring a range of skills and expertise to the evaluation. There was meaningful rebalancing of power between traditional university and community roles, although the issues around leadership remained complex and more could be done to explore how our different experiences of race and mental health shape the research we do.

Conclusions
Potential was demonstrated for participatory research approaches to inform coproduction of knowledge in mental health research that fully reflects the diversity of identity and experience.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2019 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher Keywords:	community mental health services, community participation, community‐based participatory, research, consumer involvement, mental health, patient involvement, research methodology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Nursing
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

Export

Downloads