Making the margins visible: quantifying intersectional inequalities in youth mental health across time and place

Existing research in youth mental health inequalities has primarily focused on differences across single social categories such as gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and socioeconomic position. However, systems of oppression are interrelated and intersectional inequalities among youth are understudied, limiting our understanding of the needs within this population, particularly among multiply marginalised youth. I will use an intersectional framework to study inequalities that cannot be detected by independently looking at differences across separate social categories. Using secondary data from multiple cohorts, I will employ and develop novel measurement and analytical methods to analyse intersectional inequalities and temporal and spatial variation in these. I will address critical questions in youth population mental health such as which groups are driving the deterioration observed in recent generations, which groups experience persisting or worsening mental ill-health over their life courses, and how intersectional inequalities vary across geographical locations. This research, co-produced with young people from diverse backgrounds, will help identify optimal targets for youth mental health promotion and inform further research on the complex causes of those inequalities. I will create free training resources on the innovative methods, which will benefit wider research on health and wellbeing, ultimately contributing to improving the health of marginalised communities.