£24 million investment into adolescent mental health

Adolescence is a vulnerable stage of life for mental health when the brain is known to be highly sensitive to external influences. Previous research has shown that 75% of mental health problems emerge before the age of 18 (Mental Health First Aid England). It is crucial to develop effective interventions that can be implemented at an early stage to help prevent or reduce mental health problems.

The collective aim of these new projects is to better understand how and why mental health problems emerge and what makes some young people more susceptible or resilient than others. The projects include improving social media to create a positive environment for mental health, and using creative arts and visual tools to both learn from and support young people.

This knowledge will be used to generate evidence that can lead to new approaches for improving adolescent wellbeing, educational attainment, sense of identity and social functioning.

Professor Essi Viding and Professor Pasco Fearon both from the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences have been awarded £2.8 million for their project to develop a school-based, transdiagnostic, preventative intervention for adolescent mental health.

This project will investigate the close connections between the way that adolescents process emotions and their social relationships. A key part of the project is the development of a new preventative intervention that integrates established cognitive training and interpersonal therapy methods. This will address both emotional and social relationship mechanisms.

This research aims to improve mental health and wellbeing by helping adolescents understand how their emotions impact their social relationships and how their social relationships have an impact on their emotions.

To develop this new school-based intervention, the researchers will work in partnership with young people, educators, parents and clinicians.

They will also work with young people and artists to develop compelling short films, podcasts and infographics to give practical tips for understanding emotions and social relationships for young people, teachers and parents.

The projects have been funded through the Strategic Priorities Fund, a UKRI cross-council initiative led by the Medical Research Council in collaboration with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.

The aim of the initiative is to support multi and inter-disciplinary research and innovation that will address an area of strategic importance aligned with government policy and research priorities.

Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive of UKRI, said: “It is abundantly clear that more work is urgently needed to find effective ways to support the mental health of young people at a crucial stage in their lives. This portfolio of interdisciplinary projects will build the evidence and understanding that we need to combat debilitating mental illness in young people and allow them to fulfil their potential.”

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “As we look to build back better from the pandemic, the health and happiness of children and young people across the UK is an absolute priority.

“We are committed to investing in the mental health of adolescents, leveraging the world-class capabilities of UK researchers to deliver the very best outcomes for our young people.”

Links

• Professor Essi Viding
• Professor Pasco Fearon
• UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences