INTEGRATING DELPHI CONSULTATION AND COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH METHODS

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by intense mood shifts (depression and extreme elation, expansiveness,) that can negatively affect activities of daily living. Psychosocial factors and interventions can have... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by intense mood shifts (depression and extreme elation, expansiveness,) that can negatively affect activities of daily living. Psychosocial factors and interventions can have a powerful impact on how the condition manifests and has implications for people with BD to live well. Robust research strategies are needed to advance this knowledge.
Method:
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) provided the framework for a Delphi consensus study of self-management strategies that people with BD and BD healthcare providers deemed most effective for: Keeping balance in mood in BD, and Stopping progression in hypomania and mania in BD. Participants were recruited from 12 countries. In Round 1, 101 people with BD and 52 healthcare providers participated. Peer and academic researchers, advisory members, and student volunteers contributed to the research design, implementation, and knowledge exchange (KE).
Results:
This design enabled the research network to implement its core values. A co-learning approach built research capacity and addressed power relations within the team. Lived experience perspectives shaped decision-making and added to the credibility of the results. KE strategies such as blogging, doing a webinar and adding findings to an online BD wellness centre elicited community feedback.
Conclusion:
Credible self-management strategies for living well with BD resulted from combining the Delphi research method with CBPR and recruiting participants with BD and BD healthcare providers.
Application to Practice:
This research approach is compatible with client-centred practice and resulted in robust self-management strategies that occupational therapists can share with clients who live with BD.