Defining research priorities for youth public mental health - reflections on a co-production approach to transdisciplinary working

Sep 1, 2026

Young people’s mental health, shaped during childhood and adolescence, requires public health interventions, yet effective evidence for this age group remains limited. This paper defines priorities for future intervention-focused research by engaging transdisciplinary stakeholder groups through co-production workshops. Priority-setting covered social connections, education settings, and groups at greater risk, synthesising workshop outputs into ten actionable research priorities. Reflections guide future similar co-production activities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatDOCX

Pages48

Reading Time17 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Background

A transdisciplinary approach to identifying priority areas for research

Defining research priorities for youth public mental health: reflections on a co-production approach to transdisciplinary working Andrea Taylora*, Christina McMellonb, Tara Frenchc, Alice MacLachlanb, Rhiannon Evansd, Ruth Lewisb, Mark McCannb, Laurence Mooreb, Simon Murphyd, Sharon Simpsonb, Jo Inchleyb aSchool of Design, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK; bMRC/CSO Social and Public Health Science Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; cInnovation School, Glasgow School of Art, Forres, UK; dCentre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK *Corresponding author: HYPERLINK "mailto:a.taylor@gsa.ac.uk" a.taylor@gsa.ac.uk Defining research priorities for youth public mental health: reflections on a co-production approach to transdisciplinary working Abstract Background: With most mental health problems established during childhood/adolescence, young people must be a key focus of public mental health approaches. Despite the range of factors known to influence mental health, evidence for effective interventions is lacking for this age group. This study aimed to define priorities for future public health intervention-focussed research to support youth mental health by engaging with transdisciplinary stakeholder groups. Methods: Our co-production approach involved priority-setting workshops with young people, researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Each workshop focussed on three thematic areas: social connections and relationships; schools and other education settings; and key groups at greater risk of mental ill-health, specifically LGBTQ+ and care-experienced young people. Workshop outputs were synthesised to define research priorities. Results: This paper presents the research priorities that were defined through the priority-setting workshops, and our reflections on the co-production approach to guide future similar activities undertaken by others. Ten priorities for youth public mental health research were defined, covering the following areas: building supportive relationships; whole system approaches; social media; support at times of transition; improving links between different services; development and training for those who support young people; staff mental health; engaging with families; awareness of and access to services; and out of school and community settings. Conclusions: These research priorities can inform future intervention development to support youth public mental health. Our transdisciplinary approach means the identified research priorities are likely to be relevant to young people’s experiences and needs, and to fit with the needs of those working in practice and policy to support young people. Keywords: co-production; mental health; public health; research priorities; transdisciplinary; young people Background The mental health of young people (defined as those aged 10–24 years [1]) is a major global public health challenge [2] and a national priority in the UK [3], with 75% of mental health problems established by age 24 [4]. With greater understanding of the risk and protective factors for mental health that span individual, community, organisational and societal levels, mental health is increasingly being recognised as a public health issue [5]. Public mental health strategies focus on the promotion of good mental health and prevention of mental ill-health at the population level, while also targeting those who are at greatest risk and who may not benefit from universal approaches [6, 7]. Public mental health strategies also highlight a life course approach. However, evidence for effective interventions to promote good mental health and prevent mental ill-health among young people remains limited. Young people’s lives are complex and diverse and their mental health may be impacted by a range of different factors, including the added impact of recent disruption to their lives caused by the COVID-19 p

FAQs

What was the study’s main aim?

To define priorities for future public health intervention-focused research to support youth mental health by engaging transdisciplinary stakeholders.

How did the co-production workshops shape the research priorities?

Workshops with young people, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers focused on three thematic areas and were synthesised to define the research priorities.

What priority areas were identified for youth public mental health research?

The paper defines ten priorities, including supportive relationships, whole system approaches, social media, support during transitions, links between services, training for those who support young people, staff mental health, engaging families, service awareness and access, and out-of-school/community settings.

Sep 1, 2026

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