Speaking Across Lines: Young People Shaping Mental Health Research

I am a current PhD student at UCL and Research Fellow with the UK Trauma Council. I was previously a Research Assistant working on the Adolescence Mental Health and the Developing Mind (AMHDM) ReThink Programme. My work explores how experiences of early adversity (especially care experience) shape mental health, and how research can meaningfully involve those it aims to serve. I wrote this blog to reflect on the "Adolescence, mental health and the developing mind" (AMHD) “Speaking Across Lines” symposia and to share why involving young people as partners in mental health research is so vital. 

Historically, young people’s voices have often been left out of research concerning their own mental health. Today, researchers and funders increasingly recognise the importance of involving them as partners throughout the research process — from planning and design through implementation and evaluation. This collaborative approach is known as co-production and is grounded in the principle that those most affected by research should play a critical role in shaping it.  

The Speaking Across Lines symposia, part of the AMHDM initiative, brought early career researchers and young people together as co-creators to discuss meaningful approaches to mental health research. In this blog, four of the AMHDM young advisors — Kieran, Mya, Sophie, and Tyler — shared their experiences of planning and delivering the symposia. They reflected on what researchers can do to ensure youth involvement in mental health research is ethical, impactful, and beneficial. Our young advisors gave their consent for their names to be shared in this blog.   

How did the young advisors contribute to the planning and delivery of the symposia?  

Sophie and Mya focused on “making events engaging and accessible for young people”, by suggesting icebreakers that would “build connections”, “promote inclusivity” and “make all participants feel comfortable”. Kieran helped shape the symposia content: “I suggested exploring how social media could be used differently [...] and being mindful of tone and communication style when professionals post.” 

Why young advisors’ involvement matters 

Young people are experts in their own lives and can therefore offer perspectives and insights that adults overlook, such as trends in social media use. Mya commented that “Including these perspectives helps ensure that the research truly resonates with the intended audience and addresses gaps that researchers without similar experiences might overlook”. 

Tyler highlighted how young advisors’ different perspectives can shape better research design: “It is important for researchers to consider socio-economic factors that might limit someone’s participation in research, such as lower educational attainment due to needing to support family or as a result of class”. Tyler explained, “Young people may also face pressure relating to age, for example, identity issues or work pressures which affect their willingness to participate”. They added, “Researchers should consider how they are reaching young people, for example through social media, so this fits into young people’s time constraints.” 

Young advisors can also ensure research is designed, implemented, and shared in ways that are accessible to the people it is meant to serve. As Mya put it: “Working collaboratively allows knowledge from both lived experience and academic research to be combined, helping to communicate more effectively with young people about mental health”. Sophie highlighted how the language we use can make a big difference: “Excessive psychological jargon can be a factor in separating young people from these conversations, and limiting that is a helpful tool”. This emphasis on language reflects wider evidence: a recent systematic review found that accessible language is crucial for meaningful youth engagement in mental health research.

Our young advisors also reminded us of the importance of including young participants with diverse lived experiences. As Tyler explained: “Researchers should also think about extra pressures facing minority groups, for example ensuring online questionnaires are presented in an accessible format for people with disabilities.” 

How to make involvement meaningful and ethical 

For involvement to be meaningful, young advisors should be engaged as equal partners in shaping knowledge, with their expertise valued alongside academic expertise. For Kieran and Sophie, this equal partnership was the most rewarding part of contributing to the symposia. Kieran said “What I enjoyed the most about contributing to the event was being able to be listened to as an equal, and that no idea that I or anyone in the team had was disregarded or abandoned. All ideas were taken seriously and onboarded”. Sophie echoed this: “What I enjoyed most was feeling like my voice was valued in shaping an academic space”. 

To ensure this is done ethically, Kieran thinks researchers must approach working with young advisors with "respect, sensitivity, and a strong ethical framework”. In his words this meant creating safe and inclusive spaces, being mindful of power dynamics, building trust over time, prioritizing safeguarding, and being responsive to the emotional impact of research on participants. Kieran's reflections echo wider research, which stresses that while youth involvement in mental health research is increasingly valued, it should be done in an ethical manner with appropriate safeguards in place. 

Benefits for young advisors

Young advisors’ involvement is not only about what they can contribute to research, but also what they can gain in return, e.g., offering opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, build confidence, or meet new people. Research suggests that the highest levels of youth involvement are achieved when partnerships are mutually beneficial. 

Involving youth in research can be an opportunity for them to learn more about research. As Sophie said: "Participating in this event significantly shifted my perspective on what research can look like. I previously viewed research as being conducted by experts in academic and lab settings but being involved in this symposium illustrated that research can be collaborative, inclusive, and creative.” Mya also noted this, saying that participating as a young advisor had “helped build my understanding, curiosity, and enthusiasm for science”. 

These opportunities can also help young people explore new ideas and consider future paths and opportunities. For Tyler: “This event has made me consider working within research [...]. I found this event useful in considering aspects of mental health that I hadn’t considered before, e.g., the impact of theatre in research participation of neurodiverse individuals, which got me wondering how my arts interests could be combined with my academic interests.”

Similarly, Kieran reflected: “It reinforced my ambition to become a researcher who centers co-produced, media-led narratives in academic work [...]. I gained a deeper appreciation for diverse research methods that prioritize accessibility, creativity, and emotional safety.” In line with this, Sophie said that “this experience has deepened my interest in mental health, psychology research and policy making [...]. Every single moment was a new experience for me, and experiences that I’ve been able to try and incorporate into my work.”

Finally, Mya noted that “Participating in this event has encouraged me to continue contributing to research and to explore topics beyond my main area of interest [...]. This experience also deepened my understanding of mental health and broadened my interest in other areas of research, allowing me to learn and engage with current and relevant topics in an alternative way”. 

Speaking Across Lines illustrated what is possible when young people are actively and appropriately involved in research. As Kieran reflected: “It showed me how research can be a shared process, where lived experience and academic insight work together to meaningfully shape outcomes.”