There is a pressing need for unbiased, representative, and methodologically rigorous research to understand how environmental, psychosocial and biological risk factors influence mental health in young people. Difficulties in engaging and retaining diverse groups of young people in mental health research contribute to limited ethnic and socio-economic diversity, and high attrition rates among underrepresented populations. These limitations result in a lack of actionable insights necessary to improve clinical and functional outcomes in those most at risk.
Addressing these challenges requires the meaningful and active involvement of young people throughout the research process, as they bring unique insights shaped by lived experience and first-hand perspectives that can inform research priorities, refine study designs, and ensure the interpretation of findings reflects their realities, rather than assumptions made by adults and other gatekeepers.
This symposium will explore strategies for embedding youth engagement in mental health research. Matthew Broome (University of Birmingham, UK) will discuss recent work on agency on mental health consultations with young people co-researchers, and how theoretical work from phenomenology and epistemic injustice research can support lived experience research. Rachel Upthegrove (University of Oxford, UK) will outline the involvement of young people with lived experience of psychosis in the development of anti-inflammatory studies and data platforms from a UK perspective. Finally, in the last joint presentation, Niyah Campbell (University of Birmingham, UK) and Luca Sforzini (King’s College London, UK) will report will report on the Public and Patient Involvement experience and findings of the project CELEBRATE, designed to explore barriers and facilitators of biological research in adolescent mental health, with a view to developing a Framework to support future research in this field.
Paola Dazzan (King’s College London, UK) and a young person member of a research Youth Advisory Group will Chair the Symposium.
Learning objectives
By the end of this webinar you will:
• understand the challenges and solutions for involving young people from different backgrounds in mental health research
• actively involve young people throughout the research process, from design and recruitment to dissemination and policy impact
• recognize how youth involvement can make research more relevant, fair, and useful for improving mental health outcomes
• gain practical ideas and tools for working with young people as partners to create better, more inclusive research.
Speakers
Chair: Professor Rachel Upthegrove, University of Oxford, Oxford
Dr Luca Sforzini, King's College London, London
Professor Matthew Broome, University of Birmingham, Birmingham
Mr Niyah Campbell, University of Birmingham, Birmingham
Funding
RCPsych International Congress is financially supported by the purchase of exhibition stand packages. A full list of confirmed exhibitors can be found here: Exhibiting Organisations at International Congress 2026
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress webinar 2026 package. If you attended all four days of Congress, you will have access to these as part of your Congress package. Otherwise the Congress webinar 2026 package can be purchased below.
