Abstract
BACKGROUND: The involvement and engagement of people with lived experience is considered increasingly important in health research. A growing corpus of literature on the involvement of people with lived experience of mental health conditions, including people at psychosis high risk states, can be found. This study aims to explore the subjective experience of researchers and co-researchers with lived experience of psychosis high risk states who were involved in a participatory research project. METHODS: In this study with a combined participatory and qualitative research approach, we used a reflexive thematic analysis approach to systematically analyse open reflection reports from researchers and co-researchers with lived experience of psychosis high risk states, who took part in a participatory research project (VOICE). All participants (n = 12) were asked to anonymously write reflection reports on their subjective experience of participatory research. There were no formal or content-related instructions for writing the reflection reports. Reflection reports provided by eight participants were qualitatively analysed. RESULTS: Three themes were identified from the analysis of the reflection reports. First "When uncertainty becomes a unifying element - reflecting on expectations and roles". Second "Fostering community growth: creating an environment for collaborative teamwork as well as new and creative directions". Third "Exploring personal and scientific achievements of the project". At the outset of the research project, the researchers' focus was on expectations and reflections on their role within the project, accompanied by a feeling of uncertainty. Subsequently, a sense of community developed within a favourable study framework. Finally, attention focused on research project outcomes and personal achievements within the project. CONCLUSION: The analysis of the anonymous reflection reports on a participatory research project indicates that there was a positive collaboration between participants with and without lived experience of psychosis high risk states, wherein they were able to interact on an equal footing. Participants reported an experience of equal cooperation and gained relevant personal insights from project participation. Although we do not have clear evidence of experiences of power imbalances or perceived hierarchies based on the analysed reports, these cannot be ruled out and have to be addressed in future research.