A new research initiative aims to understand mental health experiences of under-represented youth and explore how online arts and culture support wellbeing.
A major new research initiative has been launched in England to better understand the mental health experiences of under-represented young people and explore how online arts and culture might support their wellbeing. The project, the first stage of which is detailed in a recently published study protocol in BMJ Open, published study protocol in BMJ Open, outlines an ambitious narrative inquiry involving young people aged 16 – 24 years from diverse backgrounds, including autistic youth who require substantial support.
Researchers note that three-quarters of mental health conditions begin before age 25, yet young people remain the least likely to receive professional support - especially those from marginalised backgrounds. Long-term consequences of untreated mental health problems may include poorer physical health, disrupted education, strained relationships and reduced employment opportunities.
We need to listen differently. Young people tell us that their stories are often unheard - or heard only through the lens of assumption and stereotypes. This research is about listening to the stories of young people form diverse backgrounds in an attempt to understand the realities behind their experiences and to develop mental health support that genuinely works for them.
The study, part of the large NIHR-funded ORIGIN programme (Optimising Cultural Experiences for Mental Health in Marginalised Young People Online), will recruit around aims to recruit up to 100 young people for its main exploratory work package and 30 autistic young people for a specialist strand. Using narrative inquiry, researchers will invite participants to share their personal stories in their own words and preferred communication formats.
An intersectional framework underpins the project, recognising that experiences of mental health are shaped by overlapping identities - such as ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, neurodiversity, socioeconomic status and place. Researchers argue that conventional one-dimensional analyses miss the complex realities facing young people who navigate multiple layers of disadvantage.
The work builds on earlier studies suggesting that online arts and cultural content - ranging from museum exhibits to theatre performances - may support mental health, reduce anxiety and offer a positive alternative to social media. A previous trial found that young people engaging with a co-designed online cultural platform (“Ways of Being”) experienced reductions in negative affect, with even greater benefits observed among participants from minority ethnic backgrounds.
However, young people also reported that current offerings lacked content representing diverse identities and authentic human stories. The new study aims to pinpoint what types of cultural content are most engaging and how digital interventions can be adapted for those who are most often excluded - including autistic young people with higher support needs.
A distinctive feature of the project is its deep embedding of lived experience. Young people will contribute as research advisors, peer researchers, youth coordinators and co-designers, helping shape everything from recruitment strategies to interview formats and data interpretation. The protocol emphasises that the study is conducted with young people rather than on them.
Participants will be are recruited from areas with high concentrations of under-represented youth, including Sheffield, Oxfordshire, Cornwall/Devon, Blackpool and Liverpool, as well as nationally through online channels. The study also collaborates with NHS waitlists and the Cornwall Intellectual Disability Equitable Research (CIDER) centre to reach autistic young people requiring substantial support.
Researchers expect the findings to inform future digital mental health interventions, identify barriers to care and shed light on how identity, environment and lived experience interact to shape mental health trajectories. The team intends to share results widely - with young people, health professionals, policymakers, educators and the cultural sector - through articles, videos, podcasts and public-facing events.
The study has received approval from the Health Research Authority and Health and Care Research Wales, with ethical oversight and safeguarding structures in place throughout.
If you are interested in Origin studies, please join the network of interest origin-request@maillist.ox.ac.uk
Associate Clinical Professor of Youth Mental Health
Rebecca leads research using novel approaches to improve youth mental health based on community assets such as arts and culture.
