Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39902497›Full record

ArticleHealth expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy2025

Bridging the Gap: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Impact of the Involvement of Researchers With Lived Experience on a Multisite Randomised Control Trial in the National Probation Service in England and Wales.

Elizabeth Simes, Stephen Butler, Elizabeth Allison, Barbara Barrett, Anthony Bateman, Angus Cameron, Mike Crawford, Alison Frater, Zoe Hoare, Mary McMurran and 5 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Elizabeth SimesResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1704-6278
Stephen ButlerPsychology Department, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Elizabeth AllisonResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
Barbara BarrettInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Anthony BatemanResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
Angus CameronNational Probation Service London Division, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3585-3874
Mike CrawfordCentre for Mental Health, Imperial College, London, UK.
Alison FraterSchool of Law, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK.
Zoe HoareNWORTH Clinical Trials Unit, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.
Mary McMurranInstitute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Paul MoranCentre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences Department, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Stephen PillingResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
James WasonPopulation Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Jessica YakeleyPortman Clinic, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Peter FonagyResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment Programme (14/186/01).
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMethodological and ethical arguments support the involvement of individuals with lived experience in research to reduce engagement barriers and ensure those directly affected by studies contribute to knowledge generation. However, there is limited evidence on the impact of including researchers with lived experience of serving a prison or community sentence in clinical trials. This qualitative study aimed to explore the value of involving researchers with lived experience of the criminal justice system as data collectors in the Mentalization for Offending Adult Males (MOAM), a multisite RCT conducted in the National Probation Service in England and Wales.

methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 trial participants and 17 key stakeholders, either in person or via telephone. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.

findingsFive themes emerged for trial participants and 11 for key stakeholders. For some, lived experience researchers helped overcome engagement barriers by fostering common ground with participants who were serving a prison or community sentence during recruitment. Participants reported that the involvement of lived experience researchers enhanced the study by facilitating knowledge transfer in certain instances. However, their inclusion did not eliminate all barriers and, for some participants, introduced new challenges to engagement.

conclusionForensic lived experience researchers bridged the gap by fostering trust between data collectors and participants. Future studies should ensure that lived experience researchers receive adequate clinical supervision to support their role. The adopted methodology challenged assumptions about knowledge generation and stereotypes associated with being an ex-offender, benefiting both lived experience and traditional researchers. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The study was developed in collaboration with User Voice (charity number: 1136047), who contributed to the study's design and conduct. The service user organisation co-designed the interview schedule and directed the protocol for participant payments, emphasising a consistent approach to avoid tokenism and ensure equal recognition of all contributions. The dissemination plan was developed in partnership with individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system.

Indexed as

PrisonersRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicResearch PersonnelAdultEnglandHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchWalesantisocial personality disorderlived experiencenational probation servicepatient and public involvementpeer researchersrandomised control trial

Identifiers

PMID39902497
PMCPMC11791406

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.