Background: Public involvement in research is a growing phenomenon as well as a condition of research funding, and it is often referred to as coproduction. Coproduction involves stakeholder contributions at every stage of research, but different processes exist. However, the impact of coproduction on research is not well understood. Web-based young people's advisory groups (YPAGs) were established as part of the MindKind study at 3 sites (India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom) to coproduce the wider research study. Each group site, led by a professional youth advisor, conducted all youth coproduction activities collaboratively with other research staff.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of youth coproduction in the MindKind study.
Methods: To measure the impact of web-based youth coproduction on all stakeholders, the following methods were used: analysis of project documents, capturing the views of stakeholders using the Most Significant Change technique, and impact frameworks to assess the impact of youth coproduction on specific stakeholder outcomes. Data were analyzed in collaboration with researchers, advisors, and YPAG members to explore the impact of youth coproduction on research.
Results: The impact was recorded on 5 levels. First, at the paradigmatic level, a novel method of conducting research allowed for a widely diverse group of YPAG representations, influencing study priorities, conceptualization, and design. Second, at the infrastructural level, the YPAG and youth advisors meaningfully contributed to the dissemination of materials; infrastructural constraints of undertaking coproduction were also identified. Third, at the organizational level, coproduction necessitated implementing new communication practices, such as a web-based shared platform. This meant that materials were easily accessible to the whole team and communication streams remained consistent. Fourth, at the group level, authentic relationships developed between the YPAG members, advisors, and the rest of the team, facilitated by regular web-based contact. Finally, at the individual level, participants reported enhanced insights into mental well-being and appreciation for the opportunity to engage in research.
Conclusions: This study revealed several factors that shape the creation of web-based coproduction, with clear positive outcomes for advisors, YPAG members, researchers, and other project staff. However, several challenges of coproduced research were also encountered in multiple contexts and amid pressing timelines. For systematic reporting of the impact of youth coproduction, we propose that monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems be designed and implemented early.
Keywords: advisory groups; mental health; public involvement; web-based youth coproduction; young people.
©Blossom Fernandes, Lakshmi Neelakantan, Himani Shah, Sushmita Sumant, Pamela Y Collins, Jennifer Velloza, Emily Bampton, Swetha Ranganathan, Refiloe Sibisi, Toiba Bashir, Joshua Bowes, Esther Larisa David, Harsimar Kaur, Umairah Malik, Issy Shannon, Suvlaxmi Gurumayum, Anne-Marie Burn, Solveig K Sieberts, The MindKind Consortium, Mina Fazel. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (https://publichealth.jmir.org), 19.06.2023.