236156 Effect of community engagement in research on partnered projects' outcomes: Insights from the analysis of community-academic partnerships that deal with pressing mental health and substance abuse problems in underserved communities

Wednesday, November 2, 2011: 1:00 PM

Dmitry Khodyakov, PhD , RAND Health, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Susan Stockdale, PhD , Center for Health Services and Society, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Felica Jones , Director of Programs, Healthy African American Families II, Los Angeles, CA
Elizabeth Ohito , UCLA Center For Health Services and Society, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Andrea Jones , Healthy African American Families II, Los Angeles, CA
Elizabeth Lizaola, MPH , UCLA Health Services Research Center, Los Angeles, CA
Background: Complex mental health and substance abuse problems among underserved populations are important policy concerns. Research shows that these problems may be better addressed through genuine collaboration between academic and community partners rather than traditional academic-driven approaches. Nonetheless, partnered research projects take a long time to complete, require high levels of commitment from both academic and community partners, and pose certain threats to the validity and reliability of jointly collected data.

Objective: We analyze the association between the extent of community engagement in research, partnership functioning, partnership synergy, and outcomes of partnered projects to demonstrate the importance of community participation in research.

Methods: We conducted an in-depth, mixed-methods evaluation of 21 mental health and substance abuse partnered projects affiliated with two NIMH-funded research centers located at the UCLA. We first interviewed lead academic and community partners of these partnered projects and then surveyed 62 people working on them.

Results: Results of our exploratory study suggest that the extent of engaging community in research is positively associated with professional development of academic and community partners and the perception of community/policy-level benefits. The number of perceived community/policy-level benefits is also positively associated with the partnership size. Nonetheless, the level of community participation in research activities does not affect the processes of partnership functioning and partnership synergy.

Conclusions: Active community engagement in research is important for developing projects with significant positive impact in community and for building professional capacity among academic and community partners.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Objective: We analyze the association between the extent of community engagement in research, partnership functioning, partnership synergy, and outcomes of partnered projects to demonstrate the importance of community participation in research.

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Community Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the PI of this project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: The importance of community involvement in research
See more of: Community-Based Public Health Caucus