Exploring similarities and differences in how researchers and young people understand key terms in youth mental-health research

Raginie Duara (), Georgia Pavlopoulou (), Siobhan Hugh-Jones, Nicola Shaughnessy, Ruth Herbert, Sylvan Baker, Emma Williams, Edmund Sonuga-Barke, Kamaldeep Bhui, Anna Mankee-Williams and Paul Cooke
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Raginie Duara: University of Leeds
Georgia Pavlopoulou: University College London
Siobhan Hugh-Jones: University of Leeds
Nicola Shaughnessy: University of Kent
Ruth Herbert: City St George’s, University of London
Sylvan Baker: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Emma Williams: University of Surrey
Edmund Sonuga-Barke: King’s College London
Kamaldeep Bhui: University of Oxford
Anna Mankee-Williams: Falmouth University
Paul Cooke: University of Leeds

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract A lack of a shared understanding of key terms is acknowledged as a significant barrier to interdisciplinary research. This paper examines the ways in which a broadly interdisciplinary team of academics and youth co-researchers involved in mental health research interpreted a number of research and mental health terms that are central to their work in order to understand conceptual differences in how different stakeholder groups approach these terms. Data was collected in four phases (interviews, written responses, and two participatory ‘living labs’) and was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results revealed a wide disparity in the way participants understood key terms (including: ‘research’, ‘data’, ‘loneliness’, ‘safe space’ and ‘resilience’). Our study highlights the need for more inclusive approaches to mental health research, where diverse perspectives and lived experiences inform both methodology and practice from the outset. In conclusion we suggest a new framework (the EQUITY framework) as a tool to operationalise these findings.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05809-5

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