Title: Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Public Health (TRIUMPH) Network
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Childhood and adolescence are recognised as key life stages that set the foundations for health in adulthood and for the future social and economic development of the societies young people live in. Yet, young people face extraordinary pressures on maintaining health in an ever-changing environment, driven by changes in technology, communications and the media that they are exposed to. This has coincided with an increasing prevalence of mental health problems, especially among girls. The traditional sciences of psychology, psychiatry, and medicine often focus on understanding and solving health problems at the individual level, but many of the risk factors for poor mental health and wellbeing are driven by broader social and environmental factors and affected by the relationships we have, and the settings, neighbourhoods and communities we live within. A different approach is needed to find solutions to address these risk factors and improve mental health. It is important that this new approach takes young people themselves as the starting point to make sure that their voice is heard at every stage of the research process, including when we set research priorities, in co-designing interventions, running trials, and in dissemination. To achieve this, the Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Public Health (TRIUMPH) Network will bring together young people, health practitioners, policy-makers and those working with voluntary organisations, with academics from across clinical, social sciences, arts and humanities, design, and computer sciences disciplines. We will work together to find new ways to improve mental health and wellbeing, especially among vulnerable and disadvantaged populations where need is greatest. We will target our efforts at the peer groups, social networks and education settings with strongest influence on health behaviours in adolescence. The TRIUMPH Network will deliver a series of events and activities to focus our attention where mental health need is greatest. This will include workshops to understand the mental health problems facing young people, find possible solutions and take forward project ideas, and information exchange and community engagement events to share learning and increase the involvement of the groups and communities affected by youth mental health issues. Network funding will be used to support small research projects to seek and develop solutions to the mental health challenges that young people face and to prepare for larger funding applications to evaluate these. Young people will be invited, and supported, to take part in all of the activities of the Network. We will employ a Design Innovation approach using different visual methods and creative outputs to support engagement with young people from various backgrounds and to make the decision-making process more accessible. In employing a Research Associate with significant experience of participatory research with young people to lead on this work, we will ensure there is support in place for vulnerable young people who take part in the Network. The TRIUMPH Network will facilitate new research collaborations to strengthen the UK evidence base and, ultimately, to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people across the UK.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH