A review of mixed methods community-based participatory research applications in mental health

The aim of the paper was to methodologically review the intersection of mixed methods research (MMR) and community-based participatory research (CBPR) in the field of mental health research. We classify this intersecting approach as MMCBPR. The methodological review of empirical literature was conducted between October 2017 and March 2020 of full-text articles in Scopus, Pubmed, ProQuest Central, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost search engine databases in the English language. Twenty-nine studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the final analysis. We found some evidence of MMCBPR but it was limited by factors such as a lack of explicit rationales for the use of MMR and CBPR, limited evidence of long-term commitment to a community, and an ad hoc approach to the application of MMR and CBPR. These findings informed the development of practical recommendations for psychologists, mental health professionals, and researchers in the application of MMCBPR. In particular, our MMCBPR recommendations aim to advance the social justice agenda in counseling psychology, increase the rigor of MMCBPR approaches in mental health studies, and inform how advanced mixed methods applications can be used to address the complexities associated with mental health and well-being.