Development of a public mental health conceptual framework (PMH WP1)
Research Team: Prof Kate Walters & Prof Carol Brayne
Who's involved: UCL, University of Cambridge, LSHTM, Fuse, University of Bristol, Imperial, University of Sheffield & LiLaC
January 2019 - June 2020
This is the first of four Work Packages (WPs) in the first phase of the Public mental health (PMH) programme. The PMH programme focuses on promotion, prevention and population-wide approaches to influence positive and negative mental health outcomes. Extensive consultation and deliberation has established that the public mental health field has a serious and fundamental gap in knowledge at present, which inhibits systematic progress. This is the absence of overarching, evidenced conceptual frameworks with linked meaningful (in terms of lived current and future lives) outcomes. Until this is established PMH research programmes cannot provide the fully robust evidence they should. The aim of this WP1 is to provide a foundation that underpins and informs PMH research both within this programme and across the research sector. It will also be useful to public health practitioners and others involved in front line health and social care practice delivery. In order to achieve this, WP1 contains three key components:
1) To ensure that we will build on existing knowledge and understanding relating to PMH, we will conduct a ‘state-of-the-art’ review of current PMH guidance, policy and conceptual frameworks including evidence of key determinants of PMH.
2) To develop from this review process a conceptual framework of PMH which encompasses modifiable environmental, social and individual determinants of both positive and negative mental health outcomes across the life cycle. This will include a series of workshops and a consensus exercise with stakeholders to i) agree a PMH conceptual framework across the life course and ii) prioritise key modifiable determinants of adverse mental health outcomes to address in this programme.
3) To set up and facilitate a PMH network of key stakeholders including public representatives, practitioners, charities/the third sector, commercial sector and academic experts. This network will be involved in the development of the conceptual framework. It will also provide the basis to support capacity building and knowledge exchange throughout the PMH programme and beyond, as part of our strategy to ‘leave a legacy’.