Various stressors, such as poverty, stigma, violence, and climate change, impact youth mental health. Yet, we don’t fully understand how personal, societal, and environmental factors can influence emerging mental health stressors and, moreover, how they can interact with one another to affect young people’s mental health. In partnership with the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation), we’re funding and supporting longitudinal research to understand and predict the long-term impacts of mental health stressors on young people’s mental health.

By knowing how and why stressors impact youth mental health, especially in low- and middle-income countries, we can better identify the root causes of mental health challenges and support prevention, early interventions, and actionable policy recommendations for youth mental health and wellbeing.

Call for Proposals: Funding for Multi-Disciplinary Networks Researching Mental Health Stressors Among Young People

The SFA Foundation has launched a call for proposals to fund longitudinal primary research focused on identifying and addressing knowledge gaps related to the impact of emerging stressors on young people’s mental health.

They’re looking for researchers in 13 countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Vietnam, that will actively involve the participation of young people (i.e., in terms of conducting research and in the governance of the projects).

Emerging stressors of young people’s mental health 

Eligible research proposals should focus on one of the following personal, societal and environmental stressors:

  • Education expectations (academic pursuit) 
  • Substance abuse and digital addiction
  • Poverty 
  • Childhood trauma 
  • Stigma 
  • Violence and conflicts 
  • Bullying (including cyberbullying)
  • Media 
  • Climate change

The call encourages applications from early-career, mid-career, and established researchers, as well as multidisciplinary teams from universities, research institutions, community-based organizations and for-profit institutions.

Applications will be accepted until Friday, April 19, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. (EAT).