Children's Mental Health Research : The Power of Partnerships

Research in children's mental health lags behind research for adults in part because it is intrinsically context-bound. Children are embedded in families, in schools, and in communities who have responsibility for their care. Making research findings useful and ensuring that they are applied to improve the lives of children and families requires attention to these contexts. This entails a process of collaboration with many partners--teachers, nurses, healthcare providers, church leaders, neighborhood group directors, and other community leaders. The process of collaboration in children's mental health is complicated but the products that it yields have the potential to benefit both children and families.This volume, with the toolkit and casebook that it contains, distills the process of collaboration into manageable steps, and provides concrete examples of how researchers have addressed specific challenges.The premise of the book is that collaborative research, in contrast to traditional research paradigms, will yield findings that are more ethical, valid, and useful.Highlighting the transformation of science from ivory-tower theories to action-oriented practices, the editors offer practical advice for researchers and practitioners interested in using data to inform and transform children's mental health. Concrete examples of projects that have involved community leaders and researchers provide an insider's guide to conducting successful collaborations that can yield better results than traditional top-down research paradigms. Research in children's mental health lags behind research for adults in part because it is intrinsically context-bound. Children are embedded in families, in schools, and in communities who have responsibility for their care. Making research findings useful and ensuring that they are applied to improve the lives of children and families requires attention to these contexts. This entails a process of collaboration with many partners--teachers, nurses, healthcare providers, church leaders, neighborhood group directors, and other community leaders. The process of collaboration in children's mental health is complicated but the products that it yields have the potential to benefit both children and families. This volume, with the toolkit and casebook that it contains, distills the process of collaboration into manageable steps, and provides concrete examples of how researchers have addressed specific challenges. The premise of the book is that collaborative research, in contrast to traditional research paradigms, will yield findings that are more ethical, valid, and useful. Highlighting the transformation of science from ivory-tower theories to action-oriented practices, the editors offer practical advice for researchers and practitioners interested in using data to inform and transform children's mental health. Concrete examples of projects that have involved community leaders and researchers provide an insider's guide to conducting successful collaborations that can yield better results than traditional top-down research paradigms. Redefining the boundaries : community-research partnerships to improve children's mental health / Kimberly Eaton Hoagwood ... [et al.] Collaborating with consumers, providers, systems, and communities to enhance child mental health services research / Mary McKay, Peter S. Jensen, and the CHAMP collaborative Board Under new management : research collaboration with family members and youth / Nancy Koroloff ... [et al.] Perspectives of community providers on research partnerships / Robert Abramovitz and Mimi Abramovitz Creative community collaborations : a research casebook and toolkit The future of community-researcher partnerships : headed for impasse or improvement? / Peter S. Jensen and Kimberly Eaton Hoagwood. Children’s Mental Health Research......Page 2 Contents......Page 4 1. Redefining the Boundaries: Community–Research Partnerships to Improve Children’s Mental Health......Page 10 2. Collaborating with Consumers, Providers, Systems, and Communities to Enhance Child Mental Health Services Research......Page 21 3. Under New Management: Research Collaboration with Family Members and Youth......Page 47 4. Perspectives of Community Providers on Research Partnerships......Page 75 5. Creative Community Collaborations: A Research Casebook and Toolkit......Page 96 6. The Future of Community–Researcher Partnerships: Headed for Impasse or Improvement?......Page 165 Index......Page 178 Redefining the boundaries : community-research partnerships to improve children's mental health / Kimberly Eaton Hoagwood ... [et al.] Collaborating with consumers, providers, systems and communities to enhance child mental health services research / Mary McKay Under new management : research collaboration with family members and youth / Nancy Koroloff ... [et al.] Perspectives of community providers on research partnerships / Robert Abramovitz Creative community collaborations : a researcher's toolkit and case studies Toolkit for conducting collaborative community research.