Creating a collaborative and impactful research environment: community partner reflections on the DeStress-II study

Background: Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research can meaningfully improve the relevance and impact of research outcomes. However, research ‘impact’ is often only considered in terms of study findings and their wider implications for policy and practice. Less attention has been placed on understanding the motivations and experiences of individuals who engage in research in a PPI role, or any impact they feel this has within their lives. Understanding this is important, particularly in areas such as mental health where there is significant potential for power differentials in the research experience. The DeStress-II project developed a training resource for primary care practitioners to deliver supportive consultations with people experiencing poverty related mental distress. The resource was developed collaboratively with a team of Community Partners with lived experience from three regions of the UK. This paper presents the experiences of the Community Partners who were involved in all aspects of the research, developing and delivering the training, co-producing an online training resource and supporting the analysis of its implementation. We focus on what they feel helped to sustain their engagement, and the impacts of this at both an individual and group level. Methods : A reflective evaluation using data from two focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews with Community Partners (n=10). Results : Findings highlight the importance of extending the notion of impact beyond traditional boundaries of academic research to also consider individual and collective patient and public benefits of involvement. Community partners identified key factors supporting their engagement including (i) a dedicated Community Connector role; (ii) feeling part of and valued within the research team; (iii) the development and quality of relationships. Community Partners identified impact at a personal level, including growth in confidence and a desire to create a legacy of work that continued beyond the life of the research project. Conclusions : Understanding how patient and public involvement in research is experienced is an important element of research impact. Dedicated time and resources are needed to ensure researchers can create environments which foster and support positive personal impact when working with people with lived experience.