PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1611836
This article is part of the Research TopicSubstance Use Research and Population HealthView all articles
The Engagement of People with Lived Experiences (PWLE) in Substance Use Research
Provisionally accepted
- Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada
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Background: People with lived experiences (PWLE) are underrepresented in research engagement, however their involvement can significantly boost the relevance and impact of research. Questions concerning the credibility and trustworthiness of PWLE researchers by traditional and positivist researchers have been identified. Having been associated with substance use of questionable legality and related substance use activities, PWLE researchers face stigma and are deemed to lack the trustworthiness that serious research entails. Current literature on PWLE found a dearth of knowledge on the definitions and conceptualizations of PWLE in research, which this paper attempts to partially address. Methods: Issues surrounding the trustworthiness of PWLE in substance use research were investigated, along with accounts of involving PWLE at different phases of the research process.Findings: PWLE have been undervalued as researchers compared to other positivist counterparts despite advocating against marginalization and oppressive practices. T hey offer in-depth, meaningful contributions to research involving phenomena that they have experienced and were found to provide insights that other non-PWLE researchers overlooked. Moreover, engaging PWLE in research is not only beneficial for research processes and outcomes but is also empowering for PWLE themselves.A guide to maintaining trustworthiness and a description of PWLE contributions to research processes are provided.
Keywords: People with lived experience (PWLE), trustworthiness, substance use, Mental Health, reflexivity
Received: 14 Apr 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Catherine Kim, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada
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