Assessing diversity and inclusivity is the next frontier in mental health recovery narrative research and practice

Kotera, Y. et al. (2023) Assessing diversity and inclusivity is the next frontier in mental health recovery narrative research and practice. JMIR Mental Health, 10, e44601. (doi: 10.2196/44601) (PMID:37067882) (PMCID:PMC10152384)

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Abstract

Demand for digital health interventions is increasing in many countries. The use of recorded mental health recovery narratives in digital health interventions is becoming more widespread in clinical practice. Mental health recovery narratives are first-person lived experience accounts of recovery from mental health problems, including struggles and successes over time. Helpful impacts of recorded mental health recovery narratives include connectedness with the narrative and validation of experiences. Possible harms include feeling disconnected and excluded from others. Diverse narrative collections from many types of narrators and describing multiple ways to recover are important to maximize the opportunity for service users to benefit through connection and to minimize the likelihood of harm. Mental health clinicians need to know whether narrative collections are sufficiently diverse to recommend to service users. However, no method exists for assessing the diversity and inclusivity of existing or new narrative collections. We argue that assessing diversity and inclusivity is the next frontier in mental health recovery narrative research and practice. This is important, but methodologically and ethically complex. In this viewpoint, we propose and evaluate one diversity and two inclusivity assessment methods. The diversity assessment method involves use of the Simpson Diversity Index. The two inclusivity assessment methods are based on comparator demographic rates and arbitrary thresholds, respectively. These methods were applied to four narrative collections as a case study. Refinements are needed regarding a narrative assessment tool in terms of its practicality and cultural adaptation.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This paper represents the outcome of independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme (Programme Grants for Applied Research, Personal Experience as a Recovery Resource in Psychosis: NEON Programme, RP-PG-0615-20016). MS acknowledges the support of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. FN acknowledges funding from an NIHR Advanced Fellowship (NIHR302218) and a University of Nottingham Anne McLaren Research Fellowship.
Keywords:Curation, collective action, mental health, diversity, telemedicine, recovery narrative, inclusivity, clinical practice, narrative research, digital health, web-based mental health interventions, demographic.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bradstreet, Dr Simon
Authors: Kotera, Y., Rennick-Egglestone, S., Ng, F., Llewellyn-Beardsley, J., Ali, Y., Newby, C., Fox, C., Slade, E., Bradstreet, S., Harrison, J., Franklin, D., Todowede, O., and Slade, M.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
Journal Name:JMIR Mental Health
Publisher:JMIR Publications
ISSN:2368-7959
ISSN (Online):2368-7959
Published Online:17 April 2023
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2023 Yasuhiro Kotera, Stefan Rennick-Egglestone, Fiona Ng, Joy Llewellyn-Beardsley, Yasmin Ali, Chris Newby, Caroline Fox, Emily Slade, Simon Bradstreet, Julian Harrison, Donna Franklin, Olamide Todowede, Mike Slade
First Published:First published in JMIR Mental Health 10: e44601
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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