Co-Creation Workshops With MaKey MaKey to Promote Participation Among People With Mental Health Conditions

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Pilot Program of Co-Creation Workshops With MaKey MaKey to Promote Participation Among People With Mental Health Conditions

This pilot study aims to design, implement, and conduct an initial evaluation of a group-based co-creation workshop program using MaKey MaKey and Scratch for adults attending a mental health day hospital. The program will use low-cost creative technologies as tools to promote social participation, motivation, and empowerment through cooperative experiences adapted to participants' interests, abilities, and needs.

The intervention will consist of six weekly sessions lasting approximately 90 minutes each, with the possibility of two additional sessions to complete and present the projects developed. Participants will collaborate in the design of musical activities, cooperative games, interactive narratives, or other creative projects.

Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention, and information will be collected on attendance, participation, usability, incidents, support needs, and adaptations. The feasibility and acceptability of the program, as well as participants' experiences, will also be explored to inform its improvement and potential future implementation in other mental health services.

People with mental health conditions may experience difficulties that extend beyond clinical symptoms and affect daily functioning, the organization of routines, the performance of meaningful roles, and participation in social and community activities. From a recovery-oriented perspective, mental health care is not limited to symptom reduction but seeks to support people in building meaningful lives by promoting autonomy, participation, and decision-making capacity.

Mental health day hospitals provide a structured therapeutic setting situated between inpatient hospitalization and outpatient care. These services deliver individual and group interventions aimed at supporting the acquisition and maintenance of skills, the reorganization of routines, social interaction, and the gradual recovery of personal and community roles. However, one of the main challenges faced by psychosocial rehabilitation programs is providing activities that are meaningful, motivating, flexible, and sufficiently adaptable to service users' interests, abilities, and needs.

Co-creation approaches may help address this challenge by placing participants in an active role throughout the design, development, and adaptation of activities. Rather than acting solely as recipients of a predefined intervention, participants can propose ideas, make decisions, create, experiment, solve problems, and contribute to the group's work. This approach may promote motivation, cooperation, shared decision-making, a sense of belonging, and recognition of one's own abilities.

In this context, low-cost creative technologies can be used as tools to facilitate participation. Scratch is a block-based visual programming environment that enables users to create interactive digital projects without requiring advanced programming skills. MaKey MaKey is an interactive circuit board that transforms everyday objects and conductive materials into tangible interfaces connected to a computer. Combining both tools enables the development of experiences that integrate digital creation with object manipulation, bodily interaction, and cooperative work.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Receive care at the Mental Health Day Hospital at Ferrol Naval Hospital.
• Be at least 18 years of age or older.
• Attend the Mental Health Day Hospital and participate in its activities.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have significant health complications that interfere with active participation in the study.
• Have substantial comprehension or communication difficulties that prevent participation in the workshops or understanding of the study information.