In partnership with young people with disability, the research program develops policy and practice interventions that offer better opportunities for youth with disability to acquire the resources needed to flourish and support positive mental health across the lifespan. In this world-first research program we will analyse a diverse range of data, including existing longitudinal, place-based, and linked administrative datasets, qualitative interviews, policy documents, and textual public and social media data. Analyses will provide, for the first time, a nuanced and comprehensive picture of the diverse and interacting social, physical, economic, and cultural barriers and facilitators of mental health outcomes for this population.

The knowledge generated from these analyses will be used to co-design policy and practice interventions with young people with disability and other stakeholders focussed on when (e.g., leaving school), where (e.g., in workplace)  and how (e.g., workplace inclusion strategies) to intervene.  We will then simulate policy interventions using observed data and examine the impact of practice interventions, pre and post implementation.

Funding details: NHMRC Synergy Grant, $5M. Led by the University of Melbourne. Other universities: University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, RMIT University, University of Lancaster, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Project duration: 2022-2027

Chief Investigators: Anne Kavanagh, Gwynnyth Llwellyn, Helen Dickinson, Hannah Badland, Belinda Hewitt, Zoe Aitken, Eric Emerson, Elena Semino, Irma Mooi-Reci, Tom Shakespeare