Online Program

291512
Perspectives on housing and recovery - a community-based participatory research project exploring the role of housing in the lives of young adults with mental illness


Monday, November 4, 2013

Ryan Borg, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Alisa K. Lincoln, Health Sciences and Sociology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Amy Manion, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Neena Schultz, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Sarah Butterfield, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Isabelle Simil, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Jonathan Delman, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
Young adults with mental illness, also known as “transition age youth” (TAY), struggle with economic, social and housing instability, and are at increased risk for poor health outcomes as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. A community-based participatory research (CBPR) collaborative made up of mental health service users, family members and academic researchers in Boston identified the need for research examining the role of housing in the lives and recovery of TAY. Young adult service users from the local community were hired and trained as community Research Associates and participated in all aspects of the research process. The group developed a mixed-method design for the research project. First, 29 TAY living in Boston were recruited from multiple types of housing and housing services including: independent living, supported housing, groups homes and homeless. Community Research Associates conducted semi-structured interviews. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed in a group coding and analysis process. In addition, descriptive data on all TAY in Boston using Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Services during the study period were analyzed. Preliminary results of the qualitative study will be presented as well as the results of the quantitative analyses. This presentation will also describe the design and conduct of this unique CBPR study. This study serves as a model for conducting CBPR with young adults, and conducting CBPR with individuals living with mental illnesses. It also demonstrates the unique contribution a CBPR approach makes to mental health services research.

Learning Areas:

Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the design, conduct, and findings of a Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) study that explored the role of housing in the lives and recovery of young adults with mental illness in Boston. Explain how to create a mechanism for young adults living with mental illness to participate in community-based participatory research. Identify the unique contribution of a CBPR approach in mental health services research.

Keyword(s): Community Collaboration, Mental Illness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have my Master's in Public Health with a concentration in social and behavioral science. I have worked as the project coordinator for this study for three years. Over this time, I have gained extensive knowledge of community-based participatory research, mental health services research, and mental illness.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.