Community engagement and involvement in developing a community-based signposting tool for mental distress

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Health Interventions
• Community-Based Participatory Research

Background:

• Rising mental health conditions in England necessitate preventative, community-based solutions.
• Social determinants like income and housing significantly impact mental wellbeing.
• Conventional clinical approaches may not address root social causes of mental distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the community involvement and engagement (CEI) approach used in developing CoSign.
• To introduce CoSign, a digital signposting tool for identifying social determinants of mental distress.
• To facilitate access to appropriate community support resources for individuals experiencing mental distress.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the INVOLVE research-cycle framework and IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation.
• Engaged 29 diverse stakeholders, including individuals with lived experience, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.
• Incorporated CEI throughout the development process via workshops and consultations.

Main Results:

• Stakeholder input refined CoSign's design, content, accessibility, and implementation.
• The tool enables users to self-identify social needs and receive tailored resource signposting.
• CEI demonstrably enhanced the tool's relevance, acceptability, and usability.

Conclusions:

• Meaningful community involvement is crucial for developing effective, accessible mental health tools.
• Challenges in CEI include resource limitations, stakeholder fatigue, and ensuring equitable participation.
• The CoSign project highlights the value of flexible, context-sensitive CEI in digital mental health.