How Can We Connect with Young People?: A Commentary and Recommendations for Co-production Within Qualitative Youth Mental Health Research

Sophie Dallison; Anastasia Slastikova; Hannah Peel; Grace Chamberlain; Lucy Biddle; Bonnie Teague; Maria Loades; Nina Higson-Sweeney

doi:10.1177/13591045251364408

How Can We Connect with Young People? A Commentary and Recommendations for Co-production Within Qualitative Youth Mental Health Research

Sophie Dallison
, Anastasia Slastikova
, Hannah Peel
, Grace Chamberlain
, Lucy Biddle
, Bonnie Teague
, Maria Loades
, Nina Higson-Sweeney

Department of Psychology

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
University of Bristol
University of East Anglia

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Young people (YP) have long been underserved in mental health research. Co-production is part of a significant shift in youth mental health research from tokenistic involvement practices towards more genuine, meaningful collaboration with the group that the research affects: young people. This commentary reflects on learnings from a co-production process in the context of Can We Connect (CWC), a qualitative study on where YP seek mental health information online and their attitudes towards what is available. Young researchers were involved in planning, co-conducting the interviews, contributed to the data analysis and dissemination. Based on our shared experiences as a research team, we aim to provide insights into and recommendations for co-production within qualitative youth mental health research. We (n = 12, including 4 young researchers, aged 16–18) reflected on our experiences of either being, or collaborating with, a young researcher in CWC. For us, having young researchers in a research team brings (1) value to YP and (2) value to research. (3) Capitalising on differences is important, (4) having structured support for young researchers and (5) balancing levels of involvement. Open, transparent and honest communication is key to building trust, enabling young researchers to be meaningfully involved members of research teams.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	811-821
Number of pages	11
Journal	Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Volume	30
Issue number	4
Early online date	5 Aug 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045251364408
Publication status	Published - Oct 2025

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the NSFT Researchers Eirini Charami-Roupa, Louise McCarthy, Kathryn Janes, Tom Rhodes for co-conducting the interviews and to young co-researcher L Ferguson. Thank you also to the Public Engagement Unit at the University of Bath for funding research assistant time and remuneration for the young co-researchers for writing this piece.

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Professor Maria Loades (Advanced Fellowship, 302929) is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for this research project. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. Thank you to the NSFT Researchers Eirini Charami-Roupa, Louise McCarthy, Kathryn Janes, Tom Rhodes for co-conducting the interviews and to young co-researcher L Ferguson. Thank you also to the Public Engagement Unit at the University of Bath for funding research assistant time and remuneration for the young co-researchers for writing this piece. The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Professor Maria Loades (Advanced Fellowship, 302929) is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for this research project. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS or the UK Department of Health and Social Care.

Funders
Department of Health and Social Care
National Institute for Health Research
National Institute for Health and Care Research
University of Bath
NSFT Researchers Eirini Charami-Roupa

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

co-researchers
participatory research
qualitative
youth involvement
Youth mental health

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
Clinical Psychology
Psychiatry and Mental health

Access to Document

10.1177/13591045251364408Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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