Evaluating recovery colleges: a co-created scoping review

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Research
• Program Evaluation
• Co-creation Methodologies

Background:

• Recovery Colleges (RCs) offer education, networking, and skills for mental health, wellbeing, and daily living.
• A core principle of RCs is co-creation, involving individuals with lived experience of mental health/illness and/or addictions (MHA).
• Gaps exist in evaluating RCs and understanding the extent of co-creation in these evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a co-created scoping review of Recovery College evaluations in published and grey literature.
• To assess evaluation frameworks, designs, analyses, reported themes/outcomes, and evidence trustworthiness.
• To determine the degree to which RC evaluations are co-created.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology.
• Modified the methodology by re-conceptualizing "Consultation" as "co-creator engagement" as a foundational step.
• Systematically searched and analyzed published and grey literature on RC evaluations.

Main Results:

• Included 43 evaluations representing 33 RCs across the UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, USA, and Italy.
• 79% of evaluations were peer-reviewed; 21% were grey literature.
• Evaluations employed diverse approaches, but few demonstrated significant co-creation with lived experience.

Conclusions:

• The field of Recovery College evaluation is developing with varied approaches.
• There is limited evidence of co-created evaluations, despite references to co-design/co-production.
• Further research is needed to understand and enhance meaningful involvement of lived experience in program evaluations.