Exploring Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in youth mental health: reflections from researchers and young people

TL;DR

This study explores how to involve young people in mental health research using responsible practices, finding that meaningful partnerships improve research quality and fairness.

Contribution

The study provides insights into applying Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in youth mental health research through interdisciplinary collaboration and young people's perspectives.

Findings

Young people and researchers agree that mental health is shaped by personal, social, and cultural factors.

Including young people challenges adult assumptions and improves the relevance of research tools.

Youth co-leadership and regular collaboration are key to successful youth-researcher partnerships.

Abstract

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) promotes inclusive, anticipatory, and reflexive research practices that respond to societal needs. While widely applied in technological fields, its application in youth mental health remains limited. This study aimed to explore how RRI principles are understood and enacted within a large interdisciplinary programme on digital youth mental health in the United Kingdom, focusing on the perspectives of both researchers and young people.

An online survey was conducted with 21 researchers and 5 young people (mean age = 21 years, standard deviation = 2.74) involved in the programme. The survey included open-ended questions exploring knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to RRI and youth mental health. Responses were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis to identify patterns of meaning across the dataset and to generate themes.

Six themes were developed, reflecting participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Both researchers and young people conceptualised youth mental health as multifaceted, shaped by personal, social, and cultural factors, and existing along a continuum from flourishing to struggling. Young people highlighted digital harms and economic precarity, while researchers emphasised biopsychosocial determinants, offering complementary perspectives. Involving young people was seen as essential for challenging adult assumptions, improving clarity and relevance of tools, and strengthening ethical integrity. Barriers included communication gaps, entrenched hierarchies, inconsistent involvement, and the resource-intensive nature of participation. Key facilitators included mutual respect, care, flexibility, and procedural structures such as youth co-chairs (i.e., a young person co-leading the project/grant with the principal investigator/s) and regular collaborative meetings. Together, these elements demonstrated how RRI values can be embedded to foster meaningful and equitable youth–researcher partnerships.

This study shows that applying RRI in youth mental health research enhances co-production by integrating diverse perspectives, addressing ethical concerns, and strengthening the quality and social relevance of research. To fully realise this potential, RRI must be embedded as an ongoing practice supported by intentional infrastructures, such as youth leadership roles, communication training, and opportunities for intergenerational dialogue. Crucially, funders must recognise and resource the relational, iterative, and time-intensive nature of responsible youth involvement. Embedding RRI in this field provides a valuable framework for moving beyond tokenistic consultation towards inclusive, future-oriented, and ethically grounded research.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40900-026-00848-x.

This study looked at how to do research with young people, not just about them, in the area of youth mental health. We used the idea of “Responsible Research and Innovation” (RRI), which means planning ahead, listening carefully, and acting responsibly so that research is useful, fair, and safe for the people it affects. We asked researchers and young people who were working together to share their views and experiences. Both groups said youth mental health is complex and sits on a spectrum from doing well to struggling, shaped by personal factors (like sleep, mood, and coping) and social factors (like family, friends, money, and online life). Young people said their involvement helped challenge adult researchers’ assumptions and made tools and studies clearer, more relevant, and easier to use. They also pointed out practical needs for good partnerships: mutual respect, plain language, quick feedback, and real influence on decisions. Risks were flagged too – discussions can be emotionally tough, and privacy must be protected. Working together is rewarding but demanding. Jargon, time pressures, and power imbalances can get in the way. To fix this, the study suggests: involve young people from the very start; create roles like a Youth Co-chair; provide training to support good communication across ages; and bring young people and policymakers together for regular roundtables. We also call on funders to back this work properly, with time, flexibility, and resources. Done well, RRI helps produce safer, fairer, and more effective research for young people’s mental health.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40900-026-00848-x.

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