There is a well-established link between the wider determinants of health, such as economic security, and young people’s mental health outcomes. Research has shown that emotional support can act as a protective factor or ‘buffer’ when it comes to young people’s mental health outcomes.
In our Young people’s future health inquiry, participants aged 12–24 found a clear link between their mental health and the emotional support they received from their families. They also recognised social and economic factors that shaped their family members’ capacity (or ‘bandwidth’) to offer support.
Born out of the inquiry, this programme – Emotional Support for Young People – helps develop the evidence base on what shapes the emotional support that young people experience, and the effect this has on their mental health outcomes.
The Emotional Support for Young People programme is supporting four teams across the UK with funding of between £100,000 and £200,000, over 12–18 months, to complete research projects focused on at least one of the following priority areas:
If you have any questions about the programme, please email youngpeople@health.org.uk
This project addresses evidence gaps on how emotional support from families can help or hinder mental health outcomes in young people, focusing on two communities in North Yorkshire.
This project engages young people, parents and stakeholders in areas of deprivation across the UK to investigate how social factors and adversities interact to impact adolescents’ family relationships...
This project investigates whether young Londoners get the emotional support they need from their families, in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.
This project will explore how work-life balance affects the level of emotional support available to young people from their families.
We look for talented and passionate individuals as everyone at the Health Foundation has an important role to play.
View current vacanciesQ is an initiative connecting people with improvement expertise across the UK.
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