Lived experience research is conducted by people who have experience of mental health issues and is therefore better placed than more traditional research to illuminate participants’ experiences. Findings that focus on identifying enablers of recovery from a lived experience perspective have the potential to assist people in their recovery process. However, this lived experience research is often difficult to find, access and interpret. We co-produced user-friendly and engaging resources to disseminate findings from six lived experience research studies. This paper seeks to answer the research questions: a) Did exposure to lived experience research increase hopefulness for participants?; and b) How else did interacting with lived experience research resources influence participants’ lives? Thirty-eight participants were introduced to four resources of their choosing by peer workers over a four-week period. The helpfulness of resources was evaluated using mixed methods, including a quasi-experimental analysis of change in hope, an anonymous survey and in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that the resources promoted hope, but that increases in hopefulness may not be seen immediately. Other impacts include that the resources: encouraged helpful activities; provided a positive experience; increased valued knowledge; encouraged people to reflect on their journey and think constructively about mental health issues; helped people to feel less alone; and assisted people to explain their situation to others. The research suggests the potential usefulness of lived experience research resources, presented in user-friendly formats, in the lives of people who experience mental health issues and implies a need to nurture this type of research.

中文翻译：

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作为恢复资源的现场经验研究：混合方法研究。

现场体验研究是由具有心理健康问题经验的人进行的，因此比传统研究更能阐明参与者的体验。从实际经验的角度着眼于确定恢复的推动力的发现有可能在人们的恢复过程中提供帮助。但是，这种鲜活的经验研究通常很难找到，获取和解释。我们联合制作了用户友好且引人入胜的资源，以传播六项生活经验研究的结果。本文试图回答以下研究问题：a）接触现场经验研究是否增加了参与者的希望？b）与生活经验研究资源的互动还会如何影响参与者的生活？在四周的时间里，同行工人向38名参与者介绍了他们选择的四种资源。使用混合方法评估资源的帮助，包括对希望变化的准实验分析，匿名调查和深度访谈。调查结果表明，资源促进了希望，但希望的增加可能不会立即显现。其他影响包括以下资源：鼓励有益的活动；提供了积极的经验；增加有价值的知识；鼓励人们反思自己的旅程，并对精神健康问题进行建设性思考；帮助人们减少孤独感；并帮助人们向他人解释自己的处境。