About AIM

AIM Bradford: Adolescent Interventions for Mental Health in Bradford, is a research programme in Bradford building evidence for interventions that improve adolescent mental health. Adolescent mental health is a major public health concern and prevalence of anxiety, depression, and other forms of distress may be increasing. Funded through the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research, AIM is delivering a series of interconnected projects that aims to improve understanding, prevention, and support for adolescent’s mental health in Bradford:

Community engagement

Co-leads: Shahid Islam & Jabu Phiri

We work closely with local young people and mental health organisations to shape the research. Our PPIE steering group, The Future Starts With Us, consists of young people with a strong interest in mental health.

They have taken part in co-design workshops, helped identify research priorities across the programme, and are currently co-creating a youth-focused mental health podcast series.

You can listen to the recordings on:

AIM Bradford Podcast

The IRL (In Real Life)Trial

Lead: Dan Lewer

Social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat are now a big part of the lives of teenagers. Our Age of Wonder study (AGE OF WONDER – Born in Bradford) shows that teenagers – even 13-year olds – use social media apps for three hours every day, on average.

The government, families, and young people urgently want to understand the impact of social media, and how negative impacts can be reduced.

We are going to run a large high-quality scientific trial that tests if reductions in social media reduce levels of anxiety, and affect other outcomes such as sleep, bullying, and time spent with friends and family.

The trial will include 4,000 young people from Bradford, aged 12-15. We will work with secondary schools to recruit participants, who will be randomised to either use a smartphone app that caps daily usage of social media apps; or be in a control group that has no limitations.

Our study has already attracted very positive media interest, with coverage in New Scientist and The Guardian, as well as a feature on BBC Look North. Please see the links below:

New Scientist | Does limiting social media help teens?

The Guardian | UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children

Promoting Positive Adolescent Mental Health (PPAMH!) feasibility trial

Lead: Ruth Wadman

PPAMH! is a pilot study of a whole school intervention for positive school climate. Six Age of Wonder schools are taking part. Schools receiving the intervention will benefit from a dedicated PPAMH! wellbeing practitioner leading the whole-school, peer group and 1-2-1 activities.

More information can be found below:

Study Protocol

ISRCTN Registration

PPAMH! handbook

Young People’s Social Prescribing (YPSP) Evaluation

Lead: John Pickavance

This project looks at a service in Bradford that helps young people feeling isolated by connecting them with local activities and support. We are studying how this affects their mood, wellbeing, loneliness, school attendance, and visits to the doctor between 2020 and 2025.

LifeSim - Health Economics

Lead: Richard Cookson

This project aims to quantify the lifetime economic and social consequences of adolescent mental health problems and to model the potential impact of preventative interventions. LifeSim is:

(1) estimating the lifetime consequences of key adolescent outcomes;

(2) developing a ‘ready reckoner’ tool to model policy scenarios; and

(3) preparing for a future deep-dive study once data from AIM interventions evaluations become available.

Mental Health Support Team (MHST) evaluation

Co-leads: Dan Lewer, John Pickavance, & Ellen Silva

Mental Health Support Team (MHST) evaluation

This project evaluates the impact of Mental Health Support Teams, a school-based service designed to support young people’s mental health, on school absence in secondary schools across England. Using a natural experiment approach, we analyse how the gradual roll-out of MHSTs affects overall absence and persistent absence.

MHST Evaluation - OSF Registration

Qualitative Research

Lead: Kate Lightfoot

Qualitative research methods, such as interviews and group discussions are applied to understand young people’s experiences of mental health interventions. The first study in this work package is an exploration of young people and parents’ experiences of accessing mental health support. Future studies will focus on social media and mental health, and interventions such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools.

Epidemiological & Observational Studies

The association between school-level variables and adolescent mental health in the Age of Wonder cohort

Co-leads: Dan Lewer & Lila Goodwin

We will examine the link between six school-level factors (bullying, online bullying, safety, academic pressure, trust in teachers, and close peer relationships) and two mental health outcomes: (1) depression/anxiety and (2) wellbeing, among adolescents aged 12–15 in the Born in Bradford Age of Wonder cohort.