Introduction: This article aims to take stock of the ways in which the concept of participation is used in mental health, particularly in the literature relating to patient support. Based on the debates and issues identified, we propose a framework for analyzing participatory practices.
Method: The methodology is based on a literature review to which a meta-synthesis has been applied. This method of secondary analysis of qualitative research initially made it possible to synthesise and structure knowledge on the subject studied. Secondly, an interpretative analysis has been carried out to identify a proposal for a framework for analyzing practices.
Results: The search process, conducted from two databases, returned 28 articles after exclusion for full data extraction and analysis. Through the meta-synthesis of the data, three ideal models of participation in mental health emerged: the linear approach, the conditional approach and the unconditional approach.
Conclusion: Our results show that the advantage of mobilizing conceptual variations of participation from the point of view of caregivers in health support does not lie in the opposition of concepts. Rather, it rests on the possibility of shedding light on the different forms that this participation takes in the representation of professionals and their evolution in field practice.