Engaging adults with severe mental illness in research: considerations and practical recommendations for meaningful patient and public involvement
Involving adults with SMI in research is both feasible and valuable, and requires careful planning, flexibility, and support. This report highlights the importance of relational approaches and tailored support to enable meaningful contributions, offering practical guidance for researchers developing inclusive PPI strategies in mental health trials involving complex populations.
Authors
- Steven Dexter
- Simon Hough
- Petal Petersen Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5535-2458)
- Emily Shoesmith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2420-4919)
- Susan Croft (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4190-2599)
- Jennifer Sweetman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1969-4586)
- Elena Ratschen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4128-9608)
- Jodi Pervin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2452-2391)
- Lisa Huddlestone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8054-4475)
- Coleen Scothorne
Institutions
- South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
- Stellenbosch University (ZA)
- University of York (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Research Involvement and Engagement
- Published
- 2026-02-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-026-00839-y
- Primary Topic
- Mental Health and Patient Involvement
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Programme Grants for Applied Research