The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials
Background: Research can inform policies on substance use/substance use disorders (SU/SUDs), yet there is limited experimental investigation into strategies for optimizing policymakers’ engagement with SU/SUD research. This study tested the use of narratives to boost policymakers’ research engagemen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772724624000830 |
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| author | Elizabeth C. Long Riley Loria Jessica Pugel Patrick O’Neill Camille C. Cioffi Charleen Hsuan Glenn Sterner D. Max Crowley J. Taylor Scott |
| author_facet | Elizabeth C. Long Riley Loria Jessica Pugel Patrick O’Neill Camille C. Cioffi Charleen Hsuan Glenn Sterner D. Max Crowley J. Taylor Scott |
| author_sort | Elizabeth C. Long |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Research can inform policies on substance use/substance use disorders (SU/SUDs), yet there is limited experimental investigation into strategies for optimizing policymakers’ engagement with SU/SUD research. This study tested the use of narratives to boost policymakers’ research engagement. Methods: In five rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials, SU/SUD research fact sheets were emailed to US legislative policymakers. We tested the use of narratives on the number of email opens, fact sheet clicks, and replies, relative to control emails without narratives. Narratives described lived experience with SU/SUD or motivations to study SU/SUD. The sender was a person with lived experience who authored the narrative or an author of the fact sheet. Results: When the narrative was about the sender’s own lived experience (Trial 1), or when the narrative was about the sender's motivations to study SU/SUDs (Trial 2), the fact sheet was clicked more than the control (p=.049; p=.012; respectively). When the narrative was about someone else’s experience (Trials 3 and 4), the email was opened (p’s<.001) and replied to (p’s<.001) less, and the fact sheet was clicked (p’s<.001) less. Lastly, emails with lived experience narratives were replied to more than the control, regardless of sender (fact sheet author: p=.028; narrative author: p=.002; Trial 5), but were opened more if the sender authored the narrative (p<.001). Conclusions: Policymakers’ engagement with SU/SUD research generally increased when the sender was telling their own story. This work highlights the power of people with lived experience and informs strategies for optimizing policymakers’ engagement with SU/SUD research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-823ff41990e6456d97c6ba5075c439d9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2772-7246 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-823ff41990e6456d97c6ba5075c439d92025-08-20T02:34:20ZengElsevierDrug and Alcohol Dependence Reports2772-72462024-12-011310029910.1016/j.dadr.2024.100299The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trialsElizabeth C. Long0Riley Loria1Jessica Pugel2Patrick O’Neill3Camille C. Cioffi4Charleen Hsuan5Glenn Sterner6D. Max Crowley7J. Taylor Scott8Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State University, 404 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Correspondence to: 404 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Boulder, Muenzinger D244, 345 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USAEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State University, 404 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, USAEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State University, 404 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, USAPrevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, 6217 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USADepartment of Health Policy and Administration, Pennsylvania State University, 601B Donald H. Ford Building, University Park, PA 16802, USACriminal Justice Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, 1600 Woodland Road, 319 Executive Plaza, Abington, PA 19001, USAEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State University, 404 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, USAEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State University, 404 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, USABackground: Research can inform policies on substance use/substance use disorders (SU/SUDs), yet there is limited experimental investigation into strategies for optimizing policymakers’ engagement with SU/SUD research. This study tested the use of narratives to boost policymakers’ research engagement. Methods: In five rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials, SU/SUD research fact sheets were emailed to US legislative policymakers. We tested the use of narratives on the number of email opens, fact sheet clicks, and replies, relative to control emails without narratives. Narratives described lived experience with SU/SUD or motivations to study SU/SUD. The sender was a person with lived experience who authored the narrative or an author of the fact sheet. Results: When the narrative was about the sender’s own lived experience (Trial 1), or when the narrative was about the sender's motivations to study SU/SUDs (Trial 2), the fact sheet was clicked more than the control (p=.049; p=.012; respectively). When the narrative was about someone else’s experience (Trials 3 and 4), the email was opened (p’s<.001) and replied to (p’s<.001) less, and the fact sheet was clicked (p’s<.001) less. Lastly, emails with lived experience narratives were replied to more than the control, regardless of sender (fact sheet author: p=.028; narrative author: p=.002; Trial 5), but were opened more if the sender authored the narrative (p<.001). Conclusions: Policymakers’ engagement with SU/SUD research generally increased when the sender was telling their own story. This work highlights the power of people with lived experience and informs strategies for optimizing policymakers’ engagement with SU/SUD research.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772724624000830Drug policySubstance use disordersScience-policy communicationResearch engagement |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth C. Long Riley Loria Jessica Pugel Patrick O’Neill Camille C. Cioffi Charleen Hsuan Glenn Sterner D. Max Crowley J. Taylor Scott The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports Drug policy Substance use disorders Science-policy communication Research engagement |
| title | The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials |
| title_full | The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials |
| title_fullStr | The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials |
| title_full_unstemmed | The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials |
| title_short | The power of lived experience in optimizing US policymakers’ engagement with substance use research: A series of rapid-cycle randomized controlled trials |
| title_sort | power of lived experience in optimizing us policymakers engagement with substance use research a series of rapid cycle randomized controlled trials |
| topic | Drug policy Substance use disorders Science-policy communication Research engagement |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772724624000830 |
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