Userinvolve

The research is conducted through co-production. This means that service users and welfare actors actively contribute their expertise throughout the entire research process.

Who are we?

UserInvolve consists of:

• An interdisciplinary research group with members from Umeå University, Karlstad University, Lund University, Stockholm University, and Halmstad University.
• Two coordinators from the user organization The Swedish Partnership for Mental Health (NSPH).
• A national strategic group with representatives from: NSPH, The Swedish Disability Rights Federation, Verdandi, the City of Stockholm, Region Skåne, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), the National Board of Health and Welfare, and the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
• An international reference group of researchers.
• Reference groups are also linked to the various sub-projects within the research program.

Aim

Our research explores existing methods and strategies for enhancing involvement at the individual, organizational, and systemic levels. We aim not only to analyze these approaches but also to contribute to their further development and the dissemination of knowledge surrounding them.

A central feature of our work is co-production, where service users and welfare professionals actively participate throughout the research process. Their expertise and lived experience are essential to shaping both the direction and outcomes of our studies.

Central Research Questions

• How is experiential knowledge articulated, and how is it legitimized within the fields of social psychiatry and psychiatry?
• What barriers and success factors can be identified in the implementation of methods and strategies for user involvement in the field of mental health?
• What strategies exist for co-production between researchers, service users, and welfare professionals within social and psychiatric services? How can these strategies be developed to enhance participation and better integrate diverse knowledge perspectives?