ArticleBMJ open2019
'Being normal' and self-identity: the experience of volunteering in individuals with severe mental disorders-a qualitative study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of the barriers and facilitators to lived experience involvement in mental health services.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Understanding Identity Changes in Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2021Pooled it
- Volunteering Predicts Mixed Outcomes on Subjective Wellbeing.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploring the Role of Lived Experience Advocacy in Enhancing Civic Participation among Young People with Mental Ill-Health.Community mental health journal · 2026Article
- "I need to talk, to talk to people": a qualitative study of service user and carer views and priorities for social functioning in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.Community mental health journal · 2026Article
- What makes Chinese adolescents "trapped" in severe mental illness? An interactionist perspective on self and identity.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2023Article
- Community-based social interventions for people with severe mental illness: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of recent evidence.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2022Article
- The Meaning of Volunteering among People with Severe Mental Disorders: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Supported Employment, Participation at Work, and Peer Support: A Qualitative, Participatory Case Study Report of the Geesthacht Model.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Self-Destigmatization Process? Experiences of Persons Living with Bipolar Disorder: A Qualitative Study.Community mental health journal · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study sought to explore the views and experiences of a group of people with severe mental disorders (SMDs) who performed volunteer services.
designA qualitative phenomenological study.
settingCommunity public mental health services of the Community of Madrid and the province of Barcelona (Spain).
participantsPurposive sampling techniques were used between September 2016 and April 2017. The inclusion criteria were: individuals aged 18-65 years who participated in volunteer activities during the performance of this study, based on the regulations of volunteer services in Spain and the community of Madrid; a diagnosis of non-organic psychotic disorder (F20.x, F21, F22, F24, F25, F28, F29, F31.x, F32.3 and F33) according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision; an evolution of ≥2 years; and a moderate to severe dysfunction of global functioning with scores ≤70 in the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Ultimately, 23 people with SMD participated in the study with a mean age of 47 years (SD 8.23).
methodsData were collected through in-depth interviews and researcher field notes. A thematic analysis was performed following appropriate guidelines for qualitative research.
resultsTwo main themes emerged to describe the experience of participating in volunteer activities: (1) rebuilding self-identity, based on the participant's experience of volunteering, of acquiring a new role and a new perceived identity that made them feel valued and respected; and (2) being a so-called normal person with a 'normal' life, based on recovering a sense of normality, unmarked by the illness, thanks to daily responsibilities and occupations.
conclusionsQualitative research offers insight into the way people with SMD experience volunteering and may help to improve understanding of the underlying motivations that drive these individuals. These findings may be applied to improve guidance during their process of recovery and subsequent inclusion into society.
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