Mechanisms of Action and Outcomes for Students in Recovery Colleges

Objective:Recovery colleges are widespread, with little empirical research on how they work and the outcomes they produce. This study aimed to coproduce a change model characterizing mechanisms of action (how they work) and outcomes (their impact) for mental health service users who attend recovery colleges.Methods:A systematized review identified all publications about recovery colleges. Inductive collaborative data analysis of 10 key publications by academic researchers and coresearchers with lived experience informed a theoretical framework for mechanisms of action and student outcomes, which was refined through deductive analysis of 34 further publications. A change model was coproduced and refined through stakeholder interviews (N=33).Results:Four mechanisms of action for recovery colleges were identified: empowering environment (safety, respect, and supporting choices), enabling different relationships (power, peers, and working together), facilitating personal growth (for example, coproduced learni...