School of Health and Psychological Sciences, City, University of London, London, UK.
Northern Lights Research Associates, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Health Expect. 2022 Dec;25(6):3274-3286. doi: 10.1111/hex.13635. Epub 2022 Oct 25.
The Covid-19 restrictions of 2020-2021 are known to have undermined the UK population's mental health. Working alongside staff, peer trainers and students at Recovery in Mind (RiM), a Recovery College (RC) in West Berkshire, England, this mixed-methods study is amongst the first to investigate how an RC has responded to the pandemic.
Working in co-production with RiM staff and peer-trainers, this study employed a mixed-methods design, gathering Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) well-being outcome measures by questionnaire and student experience, learning and co-production by interviews.
This research found that RiM continued to produce demonstrable improvements in student mental health. Students welcomed the way that RiM adapted to offering online and socially distanced provisions. Students valued the skills that RiM taught and the way that RiM courses reinforced prior learning; above this, however, they valued the mutual support and sense of community that participation provided.
This study underlines the value of RCs maintaining 'hidden curriculums' of peer support and community involvement. This research emphasizes co-production as not only a tool for empowerment or service improvement but as a valuable skill for personal mental health recovery. Even when operating under the most unforeseen or challenging of conditions, RCs should always endeavour to prioritize and maintain co-production.
In accordance with the RC ethos, this was an entirely co-produced study, with academic researchers and RiM staff and peer trainers working democratically in partnership with one another to design and manage the study and to write up and disseminate findings. To ensure the independence and rigour of findings, data analysis was undertaken by external academic researchers.
2020-2021 年的新冠疫情限制措施众所周知对英国民众的心理健康造成了损害。本项混合方法研究与英格兰西伯克郡“头脑康复”（RiM）的工作人员、朋辈培训师和学生合作开展，是首批调查康复学院（RC）如何应对疫情的研究之一。
本研究与 RiM 的工作人员和朋辈培训师合作开展，采用混合方法设计，通过问卷调查收集 Warwick-Edinburgh 心理健康量表（WEMWBS）的幸福感结果测量指标，并通过访谈收集学生的体验、学习和共同创作情况。
本研究发现，RiM 继续显著改善学生的心理健康。学生对 RiM 适应提供在线和保持社交距离服务的方式表示欢迎。学生重视 RiM 教授的技能以及 RiM 课程对先前学习的强化方式；但更重要的是，他们重视参与带来的相互支持和社区感。
本研究强调了 RC 保持朋辈支持和社区参与“隐性课程”的价值。本研究强调共同创作不仅是赋权或服务改进的工具，也是个人心理健康康复的宝贵技能。即使在最不可预见或最具挑战性的情况下，RC 也应始终努力优先和维持共同创作。
根据 RC 精神，这是一项完全共同创作的研究，学术研究人员与 RiM 的工作人员和朋辈培训师民主合作，共同设计和管理研究，并撰写和传播研究结果。为确保研究结果的独立性和严谨性，数据分析由外部学术研究人员进行。
