# A Virtual Living Lab Platform Codeveloped for Mental Health in Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes (BrightSpark Care Lab): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

## TL;DR

This study creates a virtual platform to understand mental health in youth with type 2 diabetes, involving youth and families in research and care design.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a co-designed virtual living lab platform for longitudinal mental health research in youth-onset type 2 diabetes.

## Key findings

- A virtual living lab platform was co-designed with youth and parents for mental health research.
- Longitudinal insights into mental health experiences of youth with T2D will be generated.
- Arts-based knowledge translation resources will communicate youth-identified research and care priorities.

## Abstract

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex chronic disease that poses significant mental health challenges to affected youth. Despite calls for youth-centered research in this area, qualitative and mixed methods research is lacking, and longitudinal understandings of the mental health experiences of youth have not been generated. Living labs have potential as interactive knowledge exchange and longitudinal research platforms to generate such understandings.

The proposed research aims to (1) codesign, with youth and parent coresearchers, a virtual living lab platform with an embedded registry of youth with T2D; (2) use this platform to generate longitudinal understandings of youths’ mental health experiences; (3) identify youth priorities for research and care based on the thematic data; and (4) codesign an arts-based knowledge translation (KT) resource to communicate these priorities.

This study proposes a three-stage longitudinal, qualitatively dominant, convergent mixed methods design. Stage 1 involved codesigning an online platform with youth and parent coresearchers over a 4-month period and establishing a user registry of English-speaking youth (age 10-25 years) with T2D (diagnosed at age 18 years or younger) in Canada and their parents or guardians. In stage 2, up to 50 youth were purposively selected from the registry to complete baseline mental health measures, followed by 12 content modules using diary and arts-based response methods. Inductive thematic and mixed methods analysis will inform stage 3. Up to a third of the stage 3 participants will be purposively selected to identify priorities for mental health research and care and codesign arts-based KT resources to impart critical research findings to stakeholder groups identified with participants and youth coresearchers. This is an experimental modality for data collection, and participant numbers may be fewer; however, methodological insights regarding engagement will be collated and published to support digital strategy in future work.

We recruited 4 youth coresearchers to codesign the BrightSpark online platform—Canada’s first virtual living lab for youth and families with T2D—establishing an embedded registry of youth with T2D and creating the educational content of the 12 modules for the research. Recruitment and data collection began in March 2024 and concluded in September 2025. We anticipate study completion by January 2026.

Youth-onset T2D presents a significant challenge to families and health systems, with less than 30% of youth with T2D achieving treatment targets. Self-management in youth with T2D is further complicated by psychosocial morbidity, identity formation, stigma, blame, shame, historical oppression, and structural barriers to health. This study will contribute a sustainable and novel structure to understand this issue, providing opportunities to generate critically needed understandings of youths’ mental health experiences to advance family-centered research and care.

DERR1-10.2196/83865