Prof. Augsberger & Colleagues Help Build Capacity for Researchers to Include Young People with Lived Experience in Their Studies

Mental health research for young people strives to help individuals with mental health challenges  get the care they need, but researchers may fall short of their goal by not including young people as partners in the research process. A new editorial co-written by Prof. Astraea Augsberger addresses key challenges and strategies to engage youth with lived experience (YWLE) in research studies. 

The first step in improving YWLE research is to increase the number of studies that include young people as partners throughout the process. Since some researchers who are inexperienced in engaging with youth may be deterred from making this effort, the authors explain how their involvement in the process will make their research more impactful:

• Research ideas will be more relevant to their intended audience
• Studies will have a greater impact on youths with diverse identities, resulting in better and faster systemic change
• Data is more valid and accurate
• The researchers’ interpretations of data are more likely to reflect youth perspectives
• Results are more accessible to YWLE communities

In addition to the positive effects on research, engaging YWLE in the process is an effective form of community-based participatory research, helping youths experience more agency, self-esteem, and engagement in their community. 

However, many researchers who try to engage YWLE still run into barriers that prevent their participation, invalidate their experiences, or present flawed data. This article also helps researchers develop strategies to overcome these obstacles, including how to:

• Find and engage youth in research, particularly youth from underrepresented groups.
• Let YWLE drive the conversation to influence surveys, interviews, and interventions.
• Update research methods to reflect current experiences of YWLE, rather than rely on an outdated understanding of youth culture. This approach also includes adapting studies to match the maturity levels of young people at different ages.
• Ensure outcomes and solutions reflect YWLE needs, rather than determining those needs without their input.
• Make findings accessible to a YWLE audience, rather than produce research that only academics will see. Accessibility ranges from how the research is phrased and presented, to whether YWLE and their communities have free access to the studies.

“We challenge the mental health field to view adolescents as partners in our work, rather than simply subjects to be studied,” state the authors. “In doing so, we have greater potential for real, lasting impact.”

Read the full article here.

Learn More About Prof. Augsberger’s Research

“Key Challenges and Potential Strategies for Engaging Youth with Lived Experience in Clinical Science,” was co-written by Alexandra H. Bettis and Kathryn R. Fox from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Rachel A. Vaughn-Coaxum from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Hannah R. Lawrence and Jessica L. Hamilton from Oregon State University, and the REACH Youth Advisory Board.