Studies

The YIMHR project was comprised of a 5 study multi method program of research. The five studies were designed by the researcher (RR) specifically for this research project, and were not part of the original structure or design of the CRC. The five studies of the YIMHR project were university student focus groups (Study 1), researcher interviews (Study 2), analysis of advisory group applications (Study 3), survey of advisory group applicants (Study 4), and survey of community members (Study 5). The relationship between each of these studies and the three project aims are shown in Figure 3.2. Studies 1, 2 and 3 employed a qualitative approach. Studies 4 and 5 employed quantitative methods. The approaches used are described in Section 3.6 below.

Study 1 (focus groups with university students) was a scoping study which was designed following an initial review of the literature. This initial review ascertained that there was limited research in the specific area. The findings of this study were used alongside existing work to narrow the scope of the key concepts being examined, and to refine the project aims.

The subsequent four studies were designed as a set to capture various aspects and stakeholder groups.

They were conducted concurrently, however the analysis of the results was conducted sequentially in order to allow the results of each study to inform the subsequent study. This was because the timing of the data collection was largely dependent on the actions of the CRC. For example, the data for Study 5 was collected

when the CRC was halfway through the 5 years of its funding and Study 4 was designed to survey one cohort of the YBT across their involvement.

Figure 3.2 YIMHR project aims and studies

Study 1: University student focus groups (Chapter 4)

Study 1 was a series of semi-structured focus groups that examined university students’ perspectives on participation, engagement and involvement in mental health research. The study was undertaken to inform the design and execution of the project due to the limited existing work in the area. It examined participants’ previous experiences of participation in research, their motivations for involvement and engagement, and their ideas around how researchers should involve young people in mental health research.

Aim 1:

Characteristics Motivations Aim 2: Experiences Aim 3: Study 1: University

student focus groups (Chapter 4) Study 2: Researcher interviews (Chapter 5) Study 3: Analysis of advisory group applications (Chapter 6) Study 4: Survey of advisory group applicants (Chapter 7) Study 5: Survey of community members (Chapter 8)

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Study 2: Researcher interviews (Chapter 5)

The perspectives and experiences of researchers who were part of the CRC were explored in the second study using semi-structured interviews. This study examined researchers’ beliefs about the characteristics of the young people who they had

involved, their perceptions of the latter’s motivations and how they had involved young people in their work.

Study 3: Analysis of advisory groups applications (Chapter 6)

The characteristics and motivations of young people who apply for, and are members of, a mental health research advisory group were examined in Study 3. This was done through an analysis of applications to the YBT, the CRC’s youth advisory group.

Study 4: Survey of advisory group applicants (Chapter 7)

The results from Study 3 were elaborated in Study 4 through a longitudinal survey. The study examined the characteristics and experiences of the young people who applied to be members of the YBT in 2013 over a period of 12 months. The characteristics reported by this group were compared to the Australian population, and the group who were accepted into the YBT were compared to those who were not. The study aimed to ascertain if participants changed as a result of their participation in the YBT on a range of relevant measures.

Study 5: Survey of community members (Chapter 8)

Study 5 used an online cross-sectional survey to compare the young people who had been involved in the CRC with their peers who had either been involved in or participated in other forms of research, who had taken part in civic participation activities, or who had not been actively involved in their communities. The areas examined were participant characteristics, experience of mental ill health and help seeking, involvement with the CRC, involvement with groups other than the CRC, and technology use.

Relationship of individual studies to the overall project

As described in the preceding sections, the majority of studies considered similar, but slightly different, stakeholder groups and used different research methods. Study 1 was an overarching scoping study involving young people and the findings contributed to the design of the other studies and to the overall project’s findings. Study 2 provided a point of contrast to the other studies by including the perspective of CRC

researchers in the project. This inclusion was important to ensure that the structure and work of the CRC could be easily compared to existing work, and also to further

understand how researchers relate to young people. Studies 3 and 4 took a similarly in depth look at the CRC, but examined the work of the central youth involvement

mechanism of the CRC- the Youth Brains Trust. Finally, Study 5 was similar to Study 1 in that it examined involvement in the CRC through a broader lens than Studies 2-4. This was achieved by comparing young people’s experiences in the CRC to those who were involved in other contexts. How each of these studies contributed to the project aims is shown above in Figure 3.2.