Using complexity principles to understand the nature of relations for creating a culture of publically engaged research within higher education institutes

An engaged approach to exploring issues around poverty and mental health: A reflective evaluation of the research process from researchers and community partners involved in the DeStress study

“…Such comments are in part reflective of people's previous experiences with researchers and with negative interactions with a range of other service providers in which people in low‐income communities feel ‘done to’ rather than ‘engaged with’ 26 . They also point to the ways in which those working in a community‐facing role act as mediators, vouching for researchers’ credibility and consequently influencing recruitment and retention 27 .…”

“…Didn't think it would be as big as it was […] I thought it was going to be more using us as guinea pigs (Rachel) Such comments are in part reflective of people's previous experiences with researchers and with negative interactions with a range of other service providers in which people in low-income communities feel 'done to' rather than 'engaged with'. 26 They also point to the ways in which those working in a community-facing role act as mediators, vouching for researchers' credibility and consequently influencing recruitment and retention. 27 Whilst the research team were committed from the outset to engaging with community partners, establishing how this might be done in practice initially felt daunting, with confidence only building over time as relationships developed.…”