Thread by @ola_demk

Very excited to share our new open-access paper, exploring CYP experiences of completing MH and wellbeing measures for school-based research and offering recommendations for facilitating data collection rdcu.be/b7jFk

@emma_ash @R__Mansfield @em_stape @helenamilesaway @DanHayesPhD @K3urrell @annamoore24 @Jess_Deighton

Thread: we used thematic analysis to explore qualitative data from interviews and focus groups with 133 CYP aged eight to 16, across two school-based pilot projects. 1/

We found that many saw measure completion as an opportunity to release feelings and reflect on one's emotions, behaviours, and life in a way that CYP didn't feel they always got in day-to-day life, which sometimes made them think about how they might handle things differently 2/

CYP often felt that sharing responses with researchers was private ("talking to someone but not actually talking to someone") but in a few cases they were confused about whether their answers would be shared with their schools, including as a possible means to get them support 3/

Some participants were worried about their peers seeing their answers to the questions and a small number said they might not answer honestly as a result, including because endorsing some items might be considered out of line with societal or cultural norms 4/

Some valued knowing they were doing something that could help others in the future. However some did not feel fully informed about aspects of participation and a few were confused about whether taking part was voluntary (potentially because this was done in lesson time) 5/

Participants liked the variation and depth of questions, but the complexity of mental health made it difficult sometimes. They also felt some items were hard to answer because they were poorly worded or contained unfamiliar words 6/

Participants were split on Likert scales - some found them helpful and nuanced, others confusing. They didn't feel this sufficiently let them express their feelings and wanted to add more 7/

They were also split on length - some felt this was too long (one YP even said they felt sorry for the people that made it because it must have taken forever!), others found it acceptable. They said it could be repetitive and sometimes felt a bit "too personal" 8/

Finally, participants said they liked computer-based completion, and when they were asked about whether this would be better than paper they said it felt more secure, anonymous, familiar, and accessible 9/

The paper offers a number of recommendations for how these findings can inform future data collection practice. We're also teaming up with some other excellent people to create a guidance document on MHW survey data collection with CYP, so watch this space! 10/10