Men minds project: coproducing change for better mental health for young men at the margins

This tabletop presentation presents findings from a UKRI-funded project (https://www.menminds.org). It explores the interaction between marginalised young men’s masculine identities, their mental health and wellbeing and their help-seeking behaviours.

Young males are at greater risk of poor mental health and wellbeing outcomes in key health and wellbeing areas such as suicide (ONS, 2021) and substance use (Holloway & Bennett, 2018).  Young men are also under-represented in mental health research, meaning that the knowledge and evidence used to inform mental health policy and practice may not fully reflect their experiences or perspectives.  

Marginalised and disadvantaged populations of young men face additional barriers to accessing services or participating in research. These include young men who identify as LGBTQI+, are migrants or refugees or who have ever been stopped or arrested by the police.

Objectives
The Men Minds project aims to identify the barriers to participating in research for young men from marginalised and disadvantaged groups. It aims to improve knowledge on how to produce more inclusive, accessible, engaging mental health research for young men.

Methods
The project has used a coproduced peer-research approach with a core group of 8 young men aged between 16-24 (the Young Persons Forum or YPF). The YPF represent young men who have experienced mental ill health and identify as LGBTQI+, as refugees or migrants, or as having been in contact with the police.

The first year of the project was dedicated to working with the YPF: to better understand the barriers to taking part in mental health research; and use this learning to design a peer research project engaging other adolescent young men. The peer research phase began in May 2024 and is moving into a coproduced analysis phase. The project is due to end in May 2025.

Results or Practice/Policy Implications
The Men Minds project identifies barriers to research participation including feeling unrecognised for experiencing mental ill health, lack of trust in services and stigma of talking about mental health as a young man. It highlights the benefits of a coproduced peer approach to mental health research including greater relevance, representation and trust in the potential for change. The research process benefitted the young people in terms of providing a safe supportive space which held therapeutic value and enabled increased confidence, trusting relationships, a sense of agency and ownership.

Conclusion
Men Minds has explored the value of co-production and youth-centred approaches in improving mental health methods. We emphasise in this paper that significant resources are needed to do mental health research with marginalised groups well. Genuine coproduction requires time, fair compensation and a trauma informed research practice. Coproduced research can clearly increase trust between peers and with professional researchers, thus increasing the likelihood of engagement with mental health research in the future.