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allied
academies
Brain Disorders and Therapeutics
Mental Heal th and Psychology
5
th
International Conference on
Joint Event
&
Journal of Brain and Neurology| Volume: 2
November 05-06, 2018 | Edinburgh, Scotland
Adopting a community based participatory research approach to explore citizenship in mental health
within the Scottish context
Nicola Cogan
and
Gillian MacIntyre
University of Strathclyde, UK
C
itizenship is a concept often understood in terms of the
duties, rights, obligations and functions a person has as a
memberof society.Inmentalhealthpolicyandpractice,however,
the term has broader reach. People with lived experience of
mental health problems (MHPs), an often marginalised and
excluded population, face obstacles to gaining the full range of
opportunities that are typically available to the population in
general. Citizenship, as a framework for supporting the social
inclusion and participation in society of people with experience
of MHPs, is receiving increased attention internationally
in academia, policy and health and social care practice.
Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles
were used to develop a conceptual framework of citizenship for
people experiencing MHPs and/or other life disrupting events
in Scotland. The use of CBPR replicated an approach adopted
as part of an international collaboration in understanding
citizenship across diverse social and cultural contexts.CBPR
comprises of a range of approaches and techniques which aim
to transfer the ‘power’ from the researcher to the participants.
Participants have control over the research agenda, its process
and actions. Most importantly, peers researchers are involved
in all stages of the research process including collecting data
and analysing and reflecting on the data generated in order to
obtain the findings and draw conclusions from the research.
Reflecting on adopting a CBPR approach, it is argued that it
encourages the development of a model of citizenship that is
entirely grounded in the perspectives and lived experiences of
people experiencing MHPs. The need for adequate resources,
preparatory work, training, researchmanagement and reflexive
practice are key to the success of a CBPR approach with peer
researchers.
Speaker Biography
Nicola Cogan completed her PhD in psychology and social policy/social work (University of
Glasgow) and went on to work in specialist mental health services for children and young
people before completing a Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (University of
Edinburgh). She has over 15 years working at the front line of adult mental health services
within NHS Scotland; most recently as a consultant clinical psychologist/clinical lead for a
specialist veteran service. She recently joined the University of Strathclyde as a Lecturer in
Psychological Sciences in Health.
e:
Nicola.Cogan@strath.ac.uk