Building Interdisciplinary/Intersectoral Research Partnerships for Community-Based Mental Health Research with Older Minority Adults

Background: Several social and policy developments have led to research partnerships in mental health research, which depart from traditional research models. One form of such partnerships is among research institutions, industry (pharmaceutical and biotech) and people with lived experience of mental illness (RIPs). There are several benefits but also ethical challenges in RIPs. An ethics-based approach to anticipating and addressing such ethical issues in mental health research is lacking. Given the expansion of RIPs in treatment development for mental health illness, guidance to support ethical and trustworthy collaborative mental health research projects is essential. Methods: To develop a moral framework for evaluating the ethics of RIPs, we systematically searched PubMed for peer-reviewed literature discussing good practices in research partnerships. Searches were also conducted in websites of known organizations supporting patient engagement with industry in mental health research and in the references of short-listed articles. Following application of exclusion criteria, remaining articles were critically examined and summarised to synthesise principles for ethically acceptable RIPs and inform clear guidance and practices. Results: Critical analysis and synthesis of the short-listed articles highlighted the need for two sets of principles to guide ethical RIPs: principles for (a) RIPs as a trustworthy enterprise (e.g. public accountability, transparency) and (b) fair RIPs (e.g. effective governance, respect). We discuss the application of these principles in problem-solving strategies that can support best practice in establishing fair and successful mental health research partnerships among research institutions, industry and people with lived experience of mental illness. Conclusions: Ethical guidance is needed to prevent and address challenges in RIPs and to promote the scientific and social benefits of these new research partnership models in mental health research. We show how the proposed moral framework can guide research partners in designing, sustaining and assessing ethical and trustworthy collaborative mental health research projects.

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Championing Equity, Empowerment, and Transformational Leadership in (Mental Health) Research Partnerships: Aligning Collaborative Work With the Global Development Agenda

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00099 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Manasi Kumar

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Transformational Leadership ◽

Health Research ◽

Collaborative Work ◽

Mental Health Research ◽

Global Development ◽

Research Partnerships ◽

Development Agenda

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A University–Agency Mental Health Research Collaboration: A Case Example

Care Management Journals ◽

10.1891/1521-0987.11.2.83 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 83-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David E. Biegel ◽

Lenore A. Kola ◽

David Meeks ◽

Lauren Stevenson ◽

David Beimers

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Supported Employment ◽

Research Collaboration ◽

Mental Health Research ◽

Community Based ◽

Agency Staff ◽

Case Examples ◽

Organizational Contexts ◽

Employment Agency

There is significant documentation in the literature of barriers that may prevent research results from being utilized by agencies to inform and impact practice and policy. Such barriers pertain to several factors as follows: (a) those related to the nature of the research enterprise itself, (b) those related to differences between the producers and consumers of research, and (c) barriers arising from the differences in organizational contexts of researchers and case management and supported employment agency staff. This article discusses a collaborative relationship between university researchers and agency practitioners in the context of a research project studying the implementation of supported employment, an evidence-based practice. As a case example, it provides an exemplar of the problems and issues of conducting mental health research with community-based agencies and offers strategies and case examples that address these issues.

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Ethical challenges in Research, Industry and People Partnerships in mental health

10.31219/osf.io/uwstp ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sapfo Lignou ◽

John Geddes ◽

Ilina Singh

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Mental Health Research ◽

Social Changes ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Research Partnerships ◽

Public Companies ◽

Ethical Problems ◽

Research Collaborations ◽

Industry Research

Advancements in mental health research, social changes and policy developments have led to the emergence of new forms of research partnerships, which bring together research institutions, public companies and lay people as partners in the same research project. In this paper, we argue that partnerships comprised of industry, academia and people with experience of mental illness may present practical and ethical challenges that affect the conduct of research and undermine public trust in research collaborations. We outline a number of ethical problems from the motivation to combine competing interests and values of these diverse research partners. We argue that while critical perspectives on each of the partnership forms outlined above exist in the literature, the combination of industry, research and PPI actors in partnership in mental health research has not received sufficient scrutiny. We suggest that a robust ethical approach is needed to properly substantiate the value of such research partnerships, to inform practical and ethical guidance on potential conflicts and to facilitate productive collaborative research.

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Use of Community-Based Participatory Research in Mental Health Studies With Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1941 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 505-506

Author(s):

Jessie Ho-Yin Yau ◽

Walker Siu Hong Au ◽

Tianyin Liu ◽

Anna Y Zhang ◽

Gloria H Y Wong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Older Adults ◽

Participatory Research ◽

Health Research ◽

Community Based Participatory Research ◽

Mental Health Research ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Community Based ◽

Health Studies

Abstract Community-based participatory research (CBPR), a bottom-up approach that community stakeholders and academics are involved equitably, is an effective approach for enhancing relevance and value in public health research and has gained popularity in recent decades. However, little is known about how CBPR can be used in mental health studies with older adults. This systematic review examined the current state of knowledge about how CBPR approach has been adopted in mental health research among older adults in different societies. According to the PRISMA guidelines, we searched five major databases and screened the literature using these criteria: 1) journal articles reporting use of CBPR in mental health research among older adults, 2) articles published in English language, 3) studies conducted in any settings with any mental health research. Initial search found 3,227 articles and preliminary screening identified 23 eligible articles. We found that around 90% of studies were conducted in the West. Most studies adopted CBPR to develop community-based mental health interventions or to revise current interventions or models while addressing the cultural needs of their studied population. Few studies adopted CBPR to evaluate existing mental health workshops or programmes. The extent of involvement of older adults in the CBPR approach varied across studies, from questionnaire design to programme evaluation. Our review uncovered ways of CBPR implementation across different societies and elements of successful implementation in CBPR practices in mental health research among older adults.

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Pharmaceutical industry, academia and people with experience of mental illness as partners in research: a need for ethical guidance

Wellcome Open Research ◽

10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16166.2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 196

Author(s):

Sapfo Lignou ◽

Ilina Singh

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Health Research ◽

Best Practice ◽

Mental Health Research ◽

Research Institutions ◽

Research Partnerships ◽

Moral Framework ◽

Ethical Guidance

Background: Several social and policy developments have led to research partnerships in mental health research, which depart from traditional research models. One form of such partnerships is among Research institutions, Industry (pharmaceutical and biotech) and People with lived experience of mental illness (RIPs) in the NIHR services. There are several benefits but also challenges in such partnerships. An ethics-based approach to anticipating and addressing such problems is lacking. Given the expansion of RIPs in treatment development for mental health illness, guidance to support ethical and effective collaborations in NIHR-funded mental health research is essential. Methods: To develop a moral framework for evaluating the ethics of RIPs, we systematically searched PubMed for peer-reviewed literature discussing good practices in research partnerships. Searches were also conducted in websites of known organizations supporting patient engagement with industry in mental health research and in the references of short-listed articles. Following application of exclusion criteria, remaining articles were critically examined and summarised to synthesise principles for ethical RIPs and inform clear guidance and practices. Results: Critical analysis and synthesis of the short-listed articles highlighted the need for two sets of principles to guide ethical RIPs: principles for (a) RIPs as a trustworthy enterprise and (b) fair RIPs. We discuss the application of these principles in problem-solving strategies that can support best practice in establishing fair and effective research partnerships among research institutions, industry and people with lived experience of mental illness in the NIHR services. Conclusions: Ethical guidance is needed to prevent and address challenges in RIPs and to promote the scientific and social benefits of these new research partnership models in mental health research in the NIHR services. We show how the proposed moral framework can guide research partners in designing, sustaining and assessing ethical and effective mental health research collaborations.

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