VOLUME4b
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Volunteering in Mental Health Care for People with Psychosis (VOLUME4b)
IRAS ID
153696
Contact name
Stefan Priebe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barts Health NHS Trust
Research summary
Patients with schizophrenia and other severe mental health disorders frequently lose touch with friends, partners and relatives and are at a high risk of becoming socially isolated. This may impact upon their ability to manage their illness through drawing on social support. In the UK, particularly in the voluntary sector, there are numerous voluntary schemes that aim to help people with severe mental illness living in the community to build their social networks and become incorporated in their local communities. One type of scheme is befriending, where volunteers will spend time on a one to one basis with someone with a severe mental illness to help them build their confidence and engage in social activities. However, while anecdotal accounts from scheme organisers suggest such schemes are popular and effective, the evidence base for this claim is missing, and little is known about what patients would actually chose should they be involved in the design of such a scheme. We seek to address this knowledge gap. The research described in this proposal is part of a larger programme of research, funded by the NIHR, which has the main aim of designing a befriending scheme for the people with psychosis. In the research described in this application, we will interview patients with severe mental illness who are receiving outpatient services to map their existing social contexts and ask them about their preferences for expanding on their existing social networks. A structured survey will be used to interview participants with a diagnosis of a severe mental illness, which will cover some clinical details, and will include the social contact questionnaire, sections 2 and 3 from the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life Scale (a validated and previously published scale), and some new structured questions about what patients may want from a befriending scheme.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SW/1011
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion