The VOICES typology of curatorial decisions in narrative collections of the lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery or madness: Qualitative study

Yeo, C. et al. (2020) The VOICES typology of curatorial decisions in narrative collections of the lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery or madness: Qualitative study. JMIR Mental Health, 7(9), e16290. (doi: 10.2196/16290) (PMID:32945771)

Abstract

Background: Collections of lived experience narratives are increasingly used in health research and medical practice. However, there is limited research with respect to the decision-making processes involved in curating narrative collections and the work that curators do as they build and publish collections. Objective: This study aims to develop a typology of curatorial decisions involved in curating narrative collections presenting lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery, or madness and to document approaches selected by curators in relation to identified curatorial decisions. Methods: A preliminary typology was developed by synthesizing the results of a systematic review with insights gained through an iterative consultation with an experienced curator of multiple recovery narrative collections. The preliminary typology informed the topic guide for semistructured interviews with a maximum variation sample of 30 curators from 7 different countries. All participants had the experience of curating narrative collections of the lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery, or madness. A multidisciplinary team conducted thematic analysis through constant comparison. Results: The final typology identified 6 themes, collectively referred to as VOICES, which stands for values and motivations, organization, inclusion and exclusion, control and collaboration, ethics and legal, and safety and well-being. A total of 26 subthemes related to curation decisions were identified. Conclusions: The VOICES typology identifies the key decisions to consider when curating narrative collections about the lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery, or madness. It might be used as a theoretical basis for a good practice resource to support curators in their efforts to balance the challenges and sometimes conflicting imperatives involved in collecting, organizing, and sharing narratives. Future research might seek to document the use of such a tool by curators and hence examine how best to use VOICES to support decision making.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This article is independent research funded by the NIHR under its Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme (Personal experience as a recovery resource in psychosis: Narrative Experiences ONline (NEON) Programme, RP-PG-0615-20016). Mike Slade acknowledges the support of Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, University of South-Eastern Norway and the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. James Roe acknowledges the support of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East Midlands (CLAHRC EM), now recommissioned as NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands (ARC EM).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Callard, Professor Felicity and Bradstreet, Dr Simon
• Authors: Yeo, C., Hare-Duke, L., Rennick-Egglestone, S., Bradstreet, S., Callard, F., Hui, A., Llewellyn-Beardsley, J., Longden, E., McDonaugh, T., McGranahan, R., Ng, F., Pollock, K., Roe, J., and Slade, M.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing; College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: JMIR Mental Health
• Publisher: JMIR Publications, Inc
• ISSN: 2368-7959
• ISSN (Online): 2368-7959
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © Caroline Yeo, Laurie Hare-Duke, Stefan Rennick-Egglestone, Simon Bradstreet, Felicity Callard, Ada Hui, Joy Llewellyn-Beardsley, Eleanor Longden, Tracy McDonough, Rose McGranahan, Fiona Ng, Kristian Pollock, James Roe, Mike Slade
• First Published: First published in JMIR Mental Health 7(9):e16290
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license