Findings
What is a recovery narrative?
We conducted a systematic review and narrative synthesis to develop a conceptual framework characterising recovery narratives (here) which was based on a pre-registered review protocol (here). The conceptual framework was validated in interviews with people from under-researched groups (here), and then used to create the INCRESE instrument to characterise recovery narratives (here) which is free to download (here). We have explored issues of power in how people tell their story (here and here).
Impact of recovery narratives
We conducted a systematic review and narrative synthesis to develop an impact framework describing the impact of recovery narratives on recipients (here), based on a pre-registered review protocol (here). The impact framework was developed into a change model through interviews with people from under-researched groups (here), and a causal change model for impact through connection was then experimentally developed (here). Predictors of impact, including ethnicity and stage of recovery, were identified using experimental and clinical groups (here).
Curation of recovery narrative collections
We conducted a systematic review and qualitative synthesis to develop a curation framework capturing decisions involved in curating recovery narratives (here), based on a pre-registered review protocol (here). A consultation with 30 curators from 7 countries was used to developed the VOICES typology for curatorial decisions (here) and to investigate the relationship between curator goals and curatorial practices (here). We published a systematic review of content and trigger warnings (here), based on a pre-registered review protocol (here). We also published a systematic review of uses and misuses of recorded mental health lived experience narratives (here), based on a pre-registered protocol (here). We evaluated approaches to assessing diversity in a narrative collection (here). Our learning has been brought together in a good practice guidelines booklet (here).
Learning from recovery narratives
We explored the design features of the CHIME Framework which increase its use (here). We developed a conceptual framework for post-traumatic growth in the context of recovery for people with severe mental health problems through interviews with people from under-researched groups (here). This informed a systematic review of mechanisms of action supporting post-traumatic growth (here), based on a pre-registered review protocol (here). We investigated the narratives of people with psychosis-like experiences who do not use mental health services (here). We investigated experiences of institutional injustice (here). We also explored staff views about using recorded recovery narratives in clinical practice (here).
NEON randomised controlled trials
All the above work was integrated to develop the NEON Intervention (here). Our approach to content warnings was informed by a systematic review (here) based on a pre-registered review protocol (here). The intervention was evaluated in three randomised controlled trials in England from 2020 to 2022, based on the published trial protocol (here) with amendments to the NEON-O trial protocol (here). We published principles for all our trial recruitment materials (here), and a scoping review of adverse event reporting in digital mental health interventions (here). The cost of the NEON Intervention was established (here) and baseline characteristics of participants who have and have not used mental health services were compared (here). The trial was analysed using a pre-published statistical analysis plan (here).
The NEON-O Trial for people with non-psychosis mental health problems involved 1,023 people from across England, and found that the NEON Intervention was both effective, leading to higher quality of life and improved meaning in life, and cost-effective, especially for people currently using mental health services (here).