Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is used increasingly in leisure research to foster equitable relationships and social change, yet individuals who disseminate CBPR remain fraught with the challenges of upholding CBPR’s central values and principles in the daily practices of CBPR. In this analysis we examine the promises and challenges of integrating mental health ‘peer’ research participants into all phases of the CBPR process. While peers’ experiences were largely positive, reflections from team members revealed ongoing tensions in attending to power differences between academic researchers and peers - what the research team called “self-other” constructions. Our efforts to unsettle ‘self-other’ constructions built peers’ capacity and personal growth but perpetuated role distinctions, power inequalities, and tensions around structure and control. These tensions are highly instructive for leisure researchers “to reimagine leisure studies and its role in helping society understand, confront, and address complex social challenges” (Glover, 2015, p. 1).
Presentation at the 15th Qualitative Methods Conference, Glasgow United Kingdom. Hosted by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology (IIQM). The theme of the conference, Collaboration Considered: Complexities and Possibilities Across Communities and Cultures. Colleen and Marina Morrow presented the paper "Collaborating with Peers in Mental Health Research: Promoting equity or reinforcing marginalization?"
<p>The purpose of this presentation was to draw on our experiences in Imagining Inclusion - a 2-year community-based participatory research (CBPR) project in community mental health- to examine the promises, challenges and pitfalls of integrating peer researchers into all phases of the research process. With reflections from peer research participants and a research team member we examined how our conscious CBPR efforts to dismantle `self-other' constructions resulted in productive and mutually beneficial relationships built on transparency, respect, and trust, built capacity and personal growth among participants, and at times perpetuated role distinctions and power inequalities between participants and research team members.</p>
