REPRESENT study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing a poveRty-informEd learning health and social care system to PRevent mEntal health problemS in disadvantagEd childreN and parenTs
IRAS ID
339432
Contact name
Ruth McGovern
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle University, UK
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
There is growing concern about the prevalence of mental health problems in children, adolescents and parents, particularly in context of poverty and multiple disadvantage. Children living in family contexts with mental health problems, poverty and other social disadvantage have poor public health outcomes which develop in childhood and persist into adulthood and beyond. These problems are often compounded by additional and accumulative stress which interact synergistically. Effective intervention in the early years and childhood is likely to bring about substantial future benefits to health and wellbeing. Yet despite experiencing the greatest mental health and related need, children and families living in poverty rarely have their mental health needs recognised and do not receive effective prevention and treatment. Those interventions that do exist typically focus on individual behavioural determinants or micro-level factors decontextualised from the social determinants of health. This can result in ineffective, stigmatising interventions. Whilst practitioners supporting disadvantaged families recognise the importance of addressing structural drivers of mental health problems, they typically feel powerless to act. This programme of work aims to develop a poverty-informed approach within family hubs for children and families at risk of mental health problems in the context of multiple disadvantage. The multi-component programme of work utilises a range of qualitative and quantitative methods within an overarching realist approach:
• Realist synthesis (literature)
• Realist interviews
• Social network analysis (SNA)
• Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)
• Discrete choice experiment (DCE)The programme will work in partnership with key stakeholders throughout. We will convene three separate advisory groups (children and parents/caregivers with lived experience of multiple disadvantage and leaders from public health, social care and academia). We will consult these advisory groups iteratively and consider the findings from each work package to progressively inform the project before co-producing the poverty-informed approach.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/WM/0081
Date of REC Opinion
24 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion