Vanessa Pinfold
Biographic Data
| ID | 1725227 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Vanessa Pinfold |
| GIVEN NAMES | Vanessa |
| FAMILY NAME | Pinfold |
| SIGNATURE | PINFOLD V |
| AFFILIATIONS | McPin Foundation |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3007-8805 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 40 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Peer-friendship Networks and Self-harm among Adolescents from Inner-city Schools: A Social Network Study
Peer-relationships are critically important for adolescent behavior, but how peer-friendship network composition and structure influence adolescent self-harm is less clear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association between in-school peer-friendship networks, gender, and self-harm among inner-city adolescents. Participants were 2203 adolescents (mean age = 12.5 years, SD = 1.0; 53% girls) attending inner-city south Londo…
What Works, for Whom, in What Circumstances and Why, When Integrating Voluntary and Statutory Community Mental Health Services: A Realist Evaluation Case Study
Integrating services using a culture change model addresses gaps in mental health care. Optimal implementation requires addressing contextual barriers
Recovery at 30: Integrating Lived Experience Expertise into Mental Health Research in Israel
A major component of recovery is the inclusion of lived experience to transform the culture of Mental Health (MH) services. In Israel lived experience has been increasingly integrated into services through peer roles. However, lived experience knowledge and expertise has not been sufficiently nor systematically integrated into the design of mental health research. This paper documents an attempt to initiate change by convening multiple stakeholde…
Public perspectives on inequality and mental health: A peer research study
INTRODUCTION: Associations between structural inequalities and health are well established. However, there is limited work examining this link in relation to mental health, or that centres public perspectives. This study explores people's experience and sense-making of inequality in their daily lives, with particular consideration of impacts on mental health. METHODS: We conducted a peer research study. Participants had to live in one of two Lond…
Epistemic injustice and mental health research: A pragmatic approach to working with lived experience expertise
Epistemic injustice" refers to how people from marginalized groups are denied opportunities to create knowledge and derive meaning from their experiences. In the mental health field, epistemic injustice occurs in both research and service delivery systems and particularly impacts people from racialized communities. Lived experience involvement and leadership are often proposed as methods of combatting epistemic injustice, a tool for ensuring the …
Covid‐19, social restrictions, and mental distress among young people: A UK longitudinal, population‐based study
BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a critical period for social and emotional development. We sought to examine the impacts of Covid-19 and related social restrictions and school closures on adolescent mental health, particularly among disadvantaged, marginalised, and vulnerable groups. METHODS: We analysed four waves of data - 3 pre-Covid-19 (2016-2019) and 1 mid-Covid-19 (May-Aug 2020; n, 1074; 12-18 years old, >80% minority ethnic groups, 25% free sch…
Priorities for Future Research About Screen Use and Adolescent Mental Health: A Participatory Prioritization Study
These findings will enable researchers and funders to conduct research that is needs-oriented and relevant to the target audience
Qualitative study of candidacy and access to secondary mental health services during the Covid-19 pandemic
Candidacy, a construct describing how people's eligibility for care is negotiated between themselves and services, has received limited attention in the context of mental health care. In addition, candidacy research has only rarely studied the views of carers and health professionals. In this article, we use concepts relating to candidacy to enable a theoretically informed examination of experiences of access to secondary mental health services d…
Prevalence of conduct problems and social risk factors in ethnically diverse inner-city schools
Conduct problems are markedly more common in inner-city schools, and variations in the prevalence of conduct problems are, to some extent, rooted in modifiable social contexts and experiences, such as experiences of racial discrimination
Mental distress among young people in inner cities: The Resilience, Ethnicity and AdolesCent Mental Health (Reach) study
BACKGROUND: Recent estimates suggest around 14% of 11-16 years in England have a mental health problem. However, we know very little about the extent and nature of mental health problems among diverse groups in densely populated inner cities, where contexts and experiences may differ from the national average. AIMS: To estimate the extent and nature of mental health problems in inner city London, overall and by social group, using data from our s…
The Implementation of Connecting People in Community Mental Health Teams in England: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Loneliness and social isolation have become significant concerns in many countries, particularly amongst people experiencing mental health problems. A social intervention—Connecting People—has been found to increase their access to social capital, though it has been difficult to implement with high fidelity in community mental health teams (CMHTs) in England. This study aimed to evaluate outcomes for mental health service users of a practitioner-…
A worked example of initial theory-building: PARTNERS2 collaborative care for people who have experienced psychosis in England
In this article, we present an exemplar of the initial theory-building phase of theory-driven evaluation for the PARTNERS2 project, a collaborative care intervention for people with experience of psychosis in England. Initial theory-building involved analysis of the literature, interviews with key leaders and focus groups with service users. The initial programme theory was developed from these sources in an iterative process between researchers …
Power, Choice and Control: How Do Personal Budgets Affect the Experiences of People with Mental Health Problems and Their Relationships with Social Workers and Other Practitioners
There has been substantial research on the implementation of personal budgets across adult social care in England, but relatively little exploration of take-up within the field of mental health—and whether personal budgets are providing an effective mechanism for service users to exercise greater power, choice and control in their lives. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with fifty-two people using mental-health-related social care services and tw…
The role of family carers in the use of personal budgets by people with mental health problems
Personal budgets aim to increase choice and independence for people with social care needs but they remain underused by people with mental health problems compared to other disability groups. The use of personal budgets may impact on families in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. This paper draws on interviews, undertaken in 2012-2013 with 18 family carers and 12 mental health service users, that explored experiences of family involve…
And the Stuff that I'm Able to Achieve Now Is Really Amazing’: The Potential of Personal Budgets as a Mechanism for Supporting Recovery in Mental Health
While there is substantial common ground between the ideas of self-directed support and recovery, there are also significant differences in how these ideas have been implemented in policy and practice. This paper develops an ‘ideal type’ model of how personal budgets may need to be set up for people with mental health difficulties if they are to be effective as a mechanism that can enable recovery. Aspects of this ‘ideal type’ model are then exam…
Social exclusion and mental health: Conceptual and methodological review
BACKGROUND: The concept of social exclusion is now widely used in discussions about the nature of disadvantage, and there are ongoing initiatives to promote social inclusion among those with mental health problems. AIMS: To conduct a conceptual and methodological review of social exclusion, focusing initially on the origins and definitions of the concept and then on approaches to its measurement, both in general and in relation to mental health. …
Carers and confidentiality in mental health care: Considering the role of the carer's assessment: a study of service users', carers' and practitioners' views
Relatives or carers of people with mental health problems have criticised professionals for their failures to share information with them. This article reports on a multiple method study comprising a policy search, a survey of service users, carers and professionals, and stakeholder interviews and group events. The study found few policies that addressed the principles underpinning information sharing with carers. However, examples of good practi…
Challenging Stigma and Discrimination in Communities: A Focus Group Study Identifying UK Mental Health Service Users’ Main Campaign Priorities
Background: Stigma and discrimination experienced by people with mental health problems have been identified as major obstacles to treatment and recovery. Less is known about how to effectively tackle stigma-discrimination, although there are numerous international, national and local programmes attempting to improve public mental health literacy and anti-discrimination evidenced based practice. Aims: To explore mental health service users’ views…
Reducing psychiatric stigma and discrimination: Evaluation of educational interventions in UK secondary schools
BACKGROUND: The persistent and disabling nature of psychiatric stigma has led to the establishment of global programmes to challenge the negative stereotypes and discriminatory responses that generate social disability, but these initiatives are rarely evaluated. AIMS: To assess the effectiveness of an intervention with young people aimed at increasing mental health literacy and challenging negative stereotypes associated with severe mental illne…
A ‘bittersweet pill to swallow’: Learning from mental health service users’ responses to compulsory community care in England
Two forms of compulsory mental healthcare and supervision in the community are provided within the Mental Health Act 1983: Supervised Discharge Orders (SDOs) and guardianship. At a time when the Government are proposing to extend powers of supervision over people with severe mental illness in the community, it is appropriate that service users' experiences of existing legislation are examined and reported. Despite a range of literature that prese…
‘Building up safe havens…all around the world’: Users’ experiences of living in the community with mental health problems
Qualitative study of candidacy and access to secondary mental health services during the Covid-19 pandemic
Candidacy, a construct describing how people's eligibility for care is negotiated between themselves and services, has received limited attention in the context of mental health care. In addition, candidacy research has only rarely studied the views of carers and health professionals. In this article, we use concepts relating to candidacy to enable a theoretically informed examination of experiences of access to secondary mental health services d…
Power, Choice and Control: How Do Personal Budgets Affect the Experiences of People with Mental Health Problems and Their Relationships with Social Workers and Other Practitioners
There has been substantial research on the implementation of personal budgets across adult social care in England, but relatively little exploration of take-up within the field of mental health—and whether personal budgets are providing an effective mechanism for service users to exercise greater power, choice and control in their lives. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with fifty-two people using mental-health-related social care services and tw…
The Implementation of Connecting People in Community Mental Health Teams in England: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Loneliness and social isolation have become significant concerns in many countries, particularly amongst people experiencing mental health problems. A social intervention—Connecting People—has been found to increase their access to social capital, though it has been difficult to implement with high fidelity in community mental health teams (CMHTs) in England. This study aimed to evaluate outcomes for mental health service users of a practitioner-…
And the Stuff that I'm Able to Achieve Now Is Really Amazing’: The Potential of Personal Budgets as a Mechanism for Supporting Recovery in Mental Health
While there is substantial common ground between the ideas of self-directed support and recovery, there are also significant differences in how these ideas have been implemented in policy and practice. This paper develops an ‘ideal type’ model of how personal budgets may need to be set up for people with mental health difficulties if they are to be effective as a mechanism that can enable recovery. Aspects of this ‘ideal type’ model are then exam…
Carers and confidentiality in mental health care: Considering the role of the carer's assessment: a study of service users', carers' and practitioners' views
Relatives or carers of people with mental health problems have criticised professionals for their failures to share information with them. This article reports on a multiple method study comprising a policy search, a survey of service users, carers and professionals, and stakeholder interviews and group events. The study found few policies that addressed the principles underpinning information sharing with carers. However, examples of good practi…
A ‘bittersweet pill to swallow’: Learning from mental health service users’ responses to compulsory community care in England
Two forms of compulsory mental healthcare and supervision in the community are provided within the Mental Health Act 1983: Supervised Discharge Orders (SDOs) and guardianship. At a time when the Government are proposing to extend powers of supervision over people with severe mental illness in the community, it is appropriate that service users' experiences of existing legislation are examined and reported. Despite a range of literature that prese…
Mental distress among young people in inner cities: The Resilience, Ethnicity and AdolesCent Mental Health (Reach) study
BACKGROUND: Recent estimates suggest around 14% of 11-16 years in England have a mental health problem. However, we know very little about the extent and nature of mental health problems among diverse groups in densely populated inner cities, where contexts and experiences may differ from the national average. AIMS: To estimate the extent and nature of mental health problems in inner city London, overall and by social group, using data from our s…
A worked example of initial theory-building: PARTNERS2 collaborative care for people who have experienced psychosis in England
In this article, we present an exemplar of the initial theory-building phase of theory-driven evaluation for the PARTNERS2 project, a collaborative care intervention for people with experience of psychosis in England. Initial theory-building involved analysis of the literature, interviews with key leaders and focus groups with service users. The initial programme theory was developed from these sources in an iterative process between researchers …
The role of family carers in the use of personal budgets by people with mental health problems
Personal budgets aim to increase choice and independence for people with social care needs but they remain underused by people with mental health problems compared to other disability groups. The use of personal budgets may impact on families in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. This paper draws on interviews, undertaken in 2012-2013 with 18 family carers and 12 mental health service users, that explored experiences of family involve…
Peer-friendship Networks and Self-harm among Adolescents from Inner-city Schools: A Social Network Study
Peer-relationships are critically important for adolescent behavior, but how peer-friendship network composition and structure influence adolescent self-harm is less clear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association between in-school peer-friendship networks, gender, and self-harm among inner-city adolescents. Participants were 2203 adolescents (mean age = 12.5 years, SD = 1.0; 53% girls) attending inner-city south Londo…
Recovery at 30: Integrating Lived Experience Expertise into Mental Health Research in Israel
A major component of recovery is the inclusion of lived experience to transform the culture of Mental Health (MH) services. In Israel lived experience has been increasingly integrated into services through peer roles. However, lived experience knowledge and expertise has not been sufficiently nor systematically integrated into the design of mental health research. This paper documents an attempt to initiate change by convening multiple stakeholde…
‘Building up safe havens…all around the world’: Users’ experiences of living in the community with mental health problems
A ‘bittersweet pill to swallow’: Learning from mental health service users’ responses to compulsory community care in England
Two forms of compulsory mental healthcare and supervision in the community are provided within the Mental Health Act 1983: Supervised Discharge Orders (SDOs) and guardianship. At a time when the Government are proposing to extend powers of supervision over people with severe mental illness in the community, it is appropriate that service users' experiences of existing legislation are examined and reported. Despite a range of literature that prese…
Reducing psychiatric stigma and discrimination: Evaluation of educational interventions in UK secondary schools
BACKGROUND: The persistent and disabling nature of psychiatric stigma has led to the establishment of global programmes to challenge the negative stereotypes and discriminatory responses that generate social disability, but these initiatives are rarely evaluated. AIMS: To assess the effectiveness of an intervention with young people aimed at increasing mental health literacy and challenging negative stereotypes associated with severe mental illne…
Challenging Stigma and Discrimination in Communities: A Focus Group Study Identifying UK Mental Health Service Users’ Main Campaign Priorities
Background: Stigma and discrimination experienced by people with mental health problems have been identified as major obstacles to treatment and recovery. Less is known about how to effectively tackle stigma-discrimination, although there are numerous international, national and local programmes attempting to improve public mental health literacy and anti-discrimination evidenced based practice. Aims: To explore mental health service users’ views…
Carers and confidentiality in mental health care: Considering the role of the carer's assessment: a study of service users', carers' and practitioners' views
Relatives or carers of people with mental health problems have criticised professionals for their failures to share information with them. This article reports on a multiple method study comprising a policy search, a survey of service users, carers and professionals, and stakeholder interviews and group events. The study found few policies that addressed the principles underpinning information sharing with carers. However, examples of good practi…
Social exclusion and mental health: Conceptual and methodological review
BACKGROUND: The concept of social exclusion is now widely used in discussions about the nature of disadvantage, and there are ongoing initiatives to promote social inclusion among those with mental health problems. AIMS: To conduct a conceptual and methodological review of social exclusion, focusing initially on the origins and definitions of the concept and then on approaches to its measurement, both in general and in relation to mental health. …
The role of family carers in the use of personal budgets by people with mental health problems
Personal budgets aim to increase choice and independence for people with social care needs but they remain underused by people with mental health problems compared to other disability groups. The use of personal budgets may impact on families in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. This paper draws on interviews, undertaken in 2012-2013 with 18 family carers and 12 mental health service users, that explored experiences of family involve…
And the Stuff that I'm Able to Achieve Now Is Really Amazing’: The Potential of Personal Budgets as a Mechanism for Supporting Recovery in Mental Health
While there is substantial common ground between the ideas of self-directed support and recovery, there are also significant differences in how these ideas have been implemented in policy and practice. This paper develops an ‘ideal type’ model of how personal budgets may need to be set up for people with mental health difficulties if they are to be effective as a mechanism that can enable recovery. Aspects of this ‘ideal type’ model are then exam…
Power, Choice and Control: How Do Personal Budgets Affect the Experiences of People with Mental Health Problems and Their Relationships with Social Workers and Other Practitioners
There has been substantial research on the implementation of personal budgets across adult social care in England, but relatively little exploration of take-up within the field of mental health—and whether personal budgets are providing an effective mechanism for service users to exercise greater power, choice and control in their lives. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with fifty-two people using mental-health-related social care services and tw…
A worked example of initial theory-building: PARTNERS2 collaborative care for people who have experienced psychosis in England
In this article, we present an exemplar of the initial theory-building phase of theory-driven evaluation for the PARTNERS2 project, a collaborative care intervention for people with experience of psychosis in England. Initial theory-building involved analysis of the literature, interviews with key leaders and focus groups with service users. The initial programme theory was developed from these sources in an iterative process between researchers …
Prevalence of conduct problems and social risk factors in ethnically diverse inner-city schools
Conduct problems are markedly more common in inner-city schools, and variations in the prevalence of conduct problems are, to some extent, rooted in modifiable social contexts and experiences, such as experiences of racial discrimination
Mental distress among young people in inner cities: The Resilience, Ethnicity and AdolesCent Mental Health (Reach) study
BACKGROUND: Recent estimates suggest around 14% of 11-16 years in England have a mental health problem. However, we know very little about the extent and nature of mental health problems among diverse groups in densely populated inner cities, where contexts and experiences may differ from the national average. AIMS: To estimate the extent and nature of mental health problems in inner city London, overall and by social group, using data from our s…
The Implementation of Connecting People in Community Mental Health Teams in England: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Loneliness and social isolation have become significant concerns in many countries, particularly amongst people experiencing mental health problems. A social intervention—Connecting People—has been found to increase their access to social capital, though it has been difficult to implement with high fidelity in community mental health teams (CMHTs) in England. This study aimed to evaluate outcomes for mental health service users of a practitioner-…
Covid‐19, social restrictions, and mental distress among young people: A UK longitudinal, population‐based study
BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a critical period for social and emotional development. We sought to examine the impacts of Covid-19 and related social restrictions and school closures on adolescent mental health, particularly among disadvantaged, marginalised, and vulnerable groups. METHODS: We analysed four waves of data - 3 pre-Covid-19 (2016-2019) and 1 mid-Covid-19 (May-Aug 2020; n, 1074; 12-18 years old, >80% minority ethnic groups, 25% free sch…
Priorities for Future Research About Screen Use and Adolescent Mental Health: A Participatory Prioritization Study
These findings will enable researchers and funders to conduct research that is needs-oriented and relevant to the target audience
Qualitative study of candidacy and access to secondary mental health services during the Covid-19 pandemic
Candidacy, a construct describing how people's eligibility for care is negotiated between themselves and services, has received limited attention in the context of mental health care. In addition, candidacy research has only rarely studied the views of carers and health professionals. In this article, we use concepts relating to candidacy to enable a theoretically informed examination of experiences of access to secondary mental health services d…
Epistemic injustice and mental health research: A pragmatic approach to working with lived experience expertise
Epistemic injustice" refers to how people from marginalized groups are denied opportunities to create knowledge and derive meaning from their experiences. In the mental health field, epistemic injustice occurs in both research and service delivery systems and particularly impacts people from racialized communities. Lived experience involvement and leadership are often proposed as methods of combatting epistemic injustice, a tool for ensuring the …
Public perspectives on inequality and mental health: A peer research study
INTRODUCTION: Associations between structural inequalities and health are well established. However, there is limited work examining this link in relation to mental health, or that centres public perspectives. This study explores people's experience and sense-making of inequality in their daily lives, with particular consideration of impacts on mental health. METHODS: We conducted a peer research study. Participants had to live in one of two Lond…
What Works, for Whom, in What Circumstances and Why, When Integrating Voluntary and Statutory Community Mental Health Services: A Realist Evaluation Case Study
Integrating services using a culture change model addresses gaps in mental health care. Optimal implementation requires addressing contextual barriers
Recovery at 30: Integrating Lived Experience Expertise into Mental Health Research in Israel
A major component of recovery is the inclusion of lived experience to transform the culture of Mental Health (MH) services. In Israel lived experience has been increasingly integrated into services through peer roles. However, lived experience knowledge and expertise has not been sufficiently nor systematically integrated into the design of mental health research. This paper documents an attempt to initiate change by convening multiple stakeholde…
Peer-friendship Networks and Self-harm among Adolescents from Inner-city Schools: A Social Network Study
Peer-relationships are critically important for adolescent behavior, but how peer-friendship network composition and structure influence adolescent self-harm is less clear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association between in-school peer-friendship networks, gender, and self-harm among inner-city adolescents. Participants were 2203 adolescents (mean age = 12.5 years, SD = 1.0; 53% girls) attending inner-city south Londo…
Mental health (17 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Psychiatry (16 works) · Medicine (15 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Mental Health and Patient Involvement (11 works) · Nursing (10 works) · Political science (9 works) · Healthcare innovation and challenges (7 works) · Public relations (7 works)