Do They Get It?

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the opinions and knowledge of persons with mainly psychiatric disabilities in regards to research and the research process. A survey/test was administered before and after the study participants read a short primer that used a short-story format to describe how research is conducted and that provided the outline of a research article. Following the survey, a short discussion period was held to address the participants' questions and concerns. The results indicated that the participants found the research to be highly valuable but were more familiar with research of a medical nature (e.g., diabetic and psychotropic medications). By reading a short primer, they were able to learn about many components of a research article and to see research as a potentially valuable advocacy tool.

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