Mental health recovery narratives: their impact on service users and other stakeholder groups
Mental Health and Social Inclusion
ISSN: 2042-8308
Article publication date: 21 November 2019
Issue publication date: 21 November 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, assess the effects of the peers’ recovery narratives on service users’ perceived mental health recovery; and second, explore various stakeholders’ perspectives on the program, specifically its facilitators and barriers.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a convergent mixed-method design. First, a pre-test post-test design was used with service users to evaluate the peer recovery narrative program. They completed the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) and participated in qualitative interviews that explored perspectives on their mental health recovery before and after the program. Second, a cross-sectional design was used to explore stakeholder groups’ perspectives on the recovery narrative program immediately after listening to the narratives.
Findings
While findings show that there was no statistical difference between scores on the RAS before and after the peer narratives, thematic analysis revealed a change in service users’ understanding of recovery post-narratives. Other stakeholder groups confirmed this change. However, some healthcare professionals questioned the universal positive effects of the peer recovery narrative program on service users. Stakeholders agreed that beyond effects of the peer recovery narrative program on service users, there were also positive effects among the peers themselves.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first Canadian study, and one of the first studies to rely on mixed-methods and various stakeholder groups to evaluate the impact of peer recovery narratives on service users. The research, thus, fills a knowledge gap on peer recovery narratives.
Keywords
Citation
Piat, M., Spagnolo, J., Thibodeau-Gervais, S., Deschamps, C. and Gosselin, Y. (2019), "Mental health recovery narratives: their impact on service users and other stakeholder groups", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 173-184. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-08-2019-0021
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited