MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit

Questions on gender identity, sex and sexuality are often overlooked in research on young people’s mental health despite the importance of these topics to young people. Sometimes mental health researchers are unsure what to ask, worry about causing offence or don’t see this as a priority.

The Good Measure project aimed to advance understanding of the links between adolescent sexual development, gender identity and mental health.  

We created the Good Measure resource website; a catalogue of measures on adolescent sexuality and other resources for researchers.

What were the project aims?

1. Understand priorities and challenges in measuring dimensions of gender and sexuality that may impact on adolescents’ mental health.
2. Generate demand, build capacity, and increase confidence to research the links between adolescent sexual development, gender identity and mental health.
3. Strengthen collaboration between researchers working in the fields of adolescent mental health and sexual health and wellbeing.

How did we acheive these aims? 

Over two years (November 2022 – May 2025), the Good Measure project did the following:

• Held agenda-setting workshops with key stakeholders (young people, parents, mental health researchers, practitioners, and policymakers).
• Reviewed evidence on the links between adolescent sexual development, gender identity and mental health and collate measures of gender and sexuality relevant to the work of mental health researchers and practitioners.
• Designed a new measure of sexual wellbeing for use with people in mid/late adolescence (aged 14-19).
• Developed a set of curated research tools, resources, and guidance for the mental health research community, and offered training.

The research team was advised by a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and Professional Advisory Group (PAG).

The project was a collaboration between researchers at University of Glasgow, LSHTM, Birmingham University, City University, Indiana University (USA) and University of New Brunswick (Canada). The project was funded by a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grant to advance research methods in adolescent mental health.