Improving the mental health of children and young people in Northern Ireland - making research count

该奖学金创造了应用博士研究的知识和学习的机会，以确定和传播新数据源的关键发现，青年福祉研究NI。这是北爱尔兰第一次可靠地估计儿童，年轻人及其父母的一般人群中精神健康障碍的比率或患病率的调查。它将为政府，卫生和社会保健服务，学校和志愿部门提供重要信息，以帮助计划和提供预防和治疗心理健康问题的服务。它将帮助我们了解父母和孩子心理健康之间的关系以及其他社会经济和环境因素的影响。该调查包括一系列情绪和行为问题的措施，如焦虑和抑郁，饮食失调，自闭症谱系障碍和自我伤害和自杀，身体健康，教育，环境和创伤暴露（童年或与NI的“麻烦”有关）。这些数据有可能改变对北爱尔兰青年人口心理健康的理解，并为儿童和青年人心理健康障碍的发病以及冲突后社会代际创伤的影响提供国际知识。心理健康和福祉是一个重大的公共卫生问题，许多服务都已达到极限。更好地了解儿童和青少年面临的问题，对于根据需要规划战略应对措施至关重要，这些战略应对措施旨在支持和鼓励儿童和家庭的早期帮助和治疗。虽然已经生成了一个有价值的数据集，但重要的是要以负责任和有效的方式分析、理解和传达这些信息，以最大限度地发挥其为政策、实践提供信息并最终改善服务提供的潜力。研究金计划将包括进行分析的培训，以检查年轻人的焦虑和抑郁率与其他因素之间的关系，如贫困和剥夺，父母的心理健康和环境因素，如社交媒体的使用/欺凌/网络欺凌。收集了关于家庭一级收入、福利、地区一级贫困和住房所有权、父母心理健康（使用GHQ-12调查问卷）、年轻人使用和体验社交媒体以及网上和学校的负面经历的调查数据。计划分析将研究这些复杂因素如何相互作用并影响儿童和父母的心理健康。一旦完成这项分析，工作计划将包括一系列短期实习/研究访问组织，这些组织已经建立了广泛获取研究数据的系统，有效地传播研究结果，并影响和塑造政策以促进变革。这将包括审查涉及“经验专家”的人的联合生产方法，例如有心理健康问题的人，或照顾有经验的年轻人。该计划还将包括与卫生部为期6周的实习，以探索在政策环境中应用这种学习，并考虑如何在这种环境中增加和支持联合生产方法，并增加研究的相关性和实用性，以改善服务。实习结束后，将与一群年轻人共同制作并传播基于焦虑和抑郁数据的相关产出。将根据MHF和Chapin Hall访问所获得的知识，为DOH的团队编写一份文件，这将有助于探索如何让利益相关者参与决策并提供数据访问。准备一篇同行评审的期刊文章也很重要。最后，学习和经验将使我处于有利地位，以确定和申请资金作为首席研究员，并开始建立一个独立的研究人员的职业生涯。

This fellowship creates the opportunity to apply knowledge & learning from PhD study to identify & disseminate key findings from a new data source, the Youth Wellbeing Study NI. The is the first survey in NI to reliably estimate the rate, or prevalence, of mental health disorders in the general population of children, young people & their parents. It will give government, health & social care services, schools & the voluntary sector important information to help plan & deliver services to prevent & treat mental health problems. It will help us to understand the relationship between parent & child mental health & the impact of other socio-economic & environmental factors. The survey includes a range of measures of emotional & behavioural problems such as anxiety & depression, eating disorders, autism spectrum disorders & self-harm and suicide, physical health, education, environment & exposure to trauma (in childhood or relating to 'The Troubles' in NI). These data have the potential to transform the understanding of mental health in the youth population in NI & inform international knowledge about the onset of mental health disorders in children & young people & the impact of intergenerational trauma in a post-conflict society. Mental health & wellbeing is a significant public health concern & many services are stretched to breaking point. Having a better understanding of the issues facing children & young people is crucial to plan a strategic response based on need & one that targets support & encourages early help & treatment for children & families. While a valuable data set has been generated, it is important that this information is analysed, understood & communicated in a responsible and effective way that maximises its potential to inform policy, practice and ultimately improve service delivery. The fellowship plan will involve training to conduct analysis to examine the relationship between anxiety & depression rates in young people & other factors such as poverty & deprivation, parental mental health & environmental factors such as social media use/bullying/cyberbullying. Survey data has been collected on household level income, benefits, area level deprivation & home ownership, parental mental health (using the GHQ-12 questionnaire) & young people's use & experiences of social media & negative experiences online & at school. Planned analysis will examine how these complex factors interact with each other & affect child & parental mental health. Once this analysis has been completed, the work plan will include a series of short internships/research visits to organisations that have well established systems of making research data widely accessible, communicating research findings effectively, & influencing & shaping policy to promote change. This will include examining co-production methods that involve people who are 'experts by experience' e.g. people with mental health problems, or care experienced young people. The programme will also include a 6-week placement with the DOH to explore the application of this learning within a policy environment & consider how to increase & support co-production methods in this setting & increase the relevance & utility of research to improve services. Following the internships, relevant outputs based on the anxiety & depression data will be co-produced with a group of young people & disseminated. A paper will be prepared for the team at the DOH, building on the knowledge gained from the MHF and Chapin Hall visits, which will help explore how to engage stakeholders in their decision making & providing data access. The preparation of a peer-reviewed journal article will also be important. Finally, the learning & experience will place me in a strong position to identify & apply for funding as principal investigator & start to build a career as an independent researcher.