ARC KSS Youth Research Projects
NIHR ARC KSS - Belonging & Loneliness
With the support of e-wellbeing and ARC KSS, a team of 12 Youth Researchers (ranging from age 13 to 25) worked to develop two research projects, which explored young people's experiences of mental health and accessing wellbeing support.
The purpose of the research projects was provide an opportunity for young people to be involved in mental health research in a ways that are meaningful and empowering, and enables them to take ownership of their work.
Choosing a Research Question
After exploring a number of themes around youth wellbeing, the Youth Researchers decided to focus their research on the question:
"How do experiences of belonging and loneliness impact the mental health of young people in Brighton & Hove?"
By investigating this question, they aimed to gain understanding of youth experiences and identify ways to make meaningful change.
Watch the video to hear their full Research Proposal and learn more about why they chose this topic!
Research Training
YMCA e-wellbeing co-created an 8-session training course, with support from Bella Tomsett (PhD student at the University of Brighton) and Daisy Cresswell (Make [Good] Trouble), as well as input from the Youth Researchers about how to best support their needs.
The training course covered:
- Choosing a research question
- Research methods
- Literature review
- Critical appraisal
- Ethics in research
- Interview techniques
- Data analysis
Results and Analysis
The Youth Researchers chose to design a survey that was distributed to secondary school students during the 2024 Mental Health Champions celebration event.
Key analysis from the 50 responses included:
- 76% of young people felt loneliness had a significant impact on mental health
- On average, young people rated their sense of being valued as individuals at school as 5.2 out of 10
- 58% of young people had sought professional help for feelings of loneliness
- The top contributors to feeling lonely were difficulty connecting with others (60%), school or work stress (60%), and lack of close friends (38%)
- 80% of young people ranked supportive friends as the most important contributor to a sense of belonging
NIHR ARC KSS - Barriers to Mental Health Care
For the second research project, Youth Researchers collaborated with YMCA Dialogue to explore barriers faced by young people when accessing mental health support. Youth Researchers invited young people who were currently – or had previously – used the Dialogue service for therapeutic support.
Their chosen methods were an anonymous survey and a focus group to discuss in further details. Service users were invited to participate using posters and flyers, which were distributed around YMCA Dialogue counselling premises. Dialogue therapists were also asked to share the flyers with clients, to further aid engagement.
Results coming soon!
Youth Researcher Testimonials
