Involving young people in drug and alcohol research

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. Purpose -Young people's involvement should lead to research, and ultimately services, that better reflect young people's priorities and concerns. Young people with a history of treatment for alcohol and/or drug problems were actively involved in the youth social behaviour and network therapy study. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of that involvement on the study and what was learnt about involving young people in drug and alcohol research. Design/methodology/approach -The initial plan was to form a young people's advisory group (YPAG), but when this proved problematic the study explored alternative approaches in collaboration with researchers and young people. Input from 17 young people informed all key elements of the study. Findings -Involvement of young people needs to be dynamic and flexible, with sensitivity to their personal experiences. Engagement with services was crucial both in recruiting young people and supporting their ongoing engagement. This research identified a need to critically reflect on the extent to which rhetorics of participation and involvement give rise to effective and meaningful involvement for young service users. It also highlights the need for researchers to be more flexible in response to young people's personal circumstances, particularly when those young people are "less frequently heard". Research limitations/implications -This research highlights the need for researchers to be more flexible in response to young people's personal circumstances, particularly when those young people are "less frequently heard". It highlights the danger of young people in drug and alcohol research being unintentionally disaffected from involvement through conventional approaches and instead suggests ways in which young people could be involved in influencing if and how they participate in research. Practical implications -There is an apparent contradiction between dominant discourses and cultures of health services research (including patient and public involvement) that often do not sit easily with ideas of co-production and young people-centred involvement. This paper provides an alternative approach to involvement of young people that can help to e...

The burden of proof: The process of involving young people in research

“…The PSWs became embedded members of the UP Group, as a natural part of the group's formation. This peer approach has since been reported elsewhere as useful for enabling the voices of those who tend not to participate . The UP Group’s role was to provide a young people's perspective, with the aim of working with the adult researchers to oversee the governance and delivery of the Transition programme .…”

“…The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes that all children have the right to be involved in decisions that affect them. Hart outlines broad approaches to the participation of children and young people, and more recently, approaches for involving them in research have been proposed . Examples include them being involved in systematic reviews, expressing service preferences, and commissioning decisions .…”

‘You've come to children that are in care and given us the opportunity to get our voices heard': The journey of looked after children and researchers in developing a Patient and Public Involvement group

“…LAC requested that researchers attended the already established CICC meetings on dates convenient to them; that is, PPI sessions did not conflict with their other commitments. During sessions, a separate room was provided, so that individuals could either take part in the PPI work or stay within the CICC meeting, exercising their right to be involved in the PPI work and equally their right not to be involved . They were welcome to enter and leave sessions whenever they wanted.…”

“…24 Whilst there is recognition of the importance of obtaining multiple perspectives, the inclusion of seldom heard, marginalized and socially excluded groups continues to pose challenges. [25][26][27] This paper aims to make a contribution to filling the gap regarding involving marginalized populations of CYP in research. Dominelli (2005) states that 'even the most premeditated forms of empirical qualitative research tend to be unpredictable and somewhat "messy"', 28,29, p. 229 the prospect of engaging a population whom is transient and surrounded by multiple complexities can be daunting.…”

“…During sessions, a separate room was provided, so that individuals could either take part in the PPI work or stay within the CICC meeting, exercising their right to be involved in the PPI work and equally their right not to be involved. 27,36 They were welcome to enter and leave sessions whenever they wanted. Throughout the project, 11 LAC participated and nine sessions were held over an 18-month period.…”