Research

We are passionate about the transformative power of mental health research to create change in people’s lives, their communities and workplaces regarding services and policy.

We aim to contribute to the mental health evidence base by:

  • undertaking original research
  • synthesising existing knowledge 
  • translating this research to further understanding of what works, transferring interventions to other populations and places at a scale that maximises benefit and impact, and including mental health in all policies

Our research covers work in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have offices in London, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast and conduct various evaluations and research in these areas.

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Mental health A-Z

Explore our A to Z topics on mental health, where you can find more information on specific mental health problems and some of the things that can have an impact –good and bad – on our mental health.
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Our Personal Experience Network (OPEN)

OPEN is a diverse online community of people we ask to inform us what we do, through anything from quick feedback on a social media post to fully participating in a research project.
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Featured reports

Experiences of poverty stigma and mental health in the UK

In this report, we examine how experiences of poverty stigma are related to mental health outcomes in the UK. Our aim was to understand the impact of poverty stigma and who is most affected in order to inform solutions.
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The economic case for investing in the prevention of mental health conditions in the UK

Our report with the London School of Economics and Political Science provides evidence from the UK and around the world that proves prevention interventions work.
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Surviving or Thriving? The state of the UK's mental health

This report aims to understand the prevalence of self-reported mental health problems, levels of positive and negative mental health in the population, and the actions people take to deal with the stressors in their lives.
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Uncertain times: Anxiety in the UK and how to tackle it

This briefing looks at the prevalence and rates of anxiety amongst different groups of people, and the current key drivers and risk factors for anxiety. It also considers the main ways of coping with anxiety and provides recommendations to governments across the UK for preventing anxiety.
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Prevention and mental health report

This report provides an understanding of the evidence for prevention and mental health so that we can address the greatest health challenge of our times.
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Tackling social inequalities to reduce mental health problems

This report describes the extent of inequalities contributing to poor mental health in the UK today. It explains how certain circumstances interact with our own risks and discusses communities that are facing vulnerabilities.
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Fundamental facts about mental health 2016

A comprehensive summary of mental health research, providing a unique handbook of key facts and figures, covering all key areas of mental health.
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Relationships in the 21st century: the forgotten foundation of mental health and well-being

This report explores relationships across the life course, why they matter and the importance of being part of a community.
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The impact of traumatic events on mental health

This report explores the impact traumatic events have on our mental health and provides advice on coping with trauma.
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Our research projects

Thriving Learners

This research study is one of the largest of its kind, looking into student mental health across Scotland.

Explore the study

See Me Scotland

See Me is Scotland's national programme to tackle mental health stigma across Scotland, with the Mental Health Foundation providing the research and evaluation for the programme.

Find out more about this study

Barnardo’s

The Mental Health Foundation is the evaluation and learning partner for Barnardo’s Core Priority Programme in mental health and wellbeing.

Find out more about this study

Gaming and Mental Health

Using funding from Jingle Jam, we conducted an exciting new study exploring the link between video games and mental well-being.

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Coronavirus: Mental Health in the Pandemic Study

Between 2020-2022, working with partners, the Mental Health Foundation led a ground-breaking, long-term, UK-wide research study of how the pandemic affected people’s mental health.

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Coronavirus: Mental Health in the Pandemic Study in Scotland

Explore the Scotland Research team’s work as part of the UK-wide study.

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Coronavirus and Adolescent Mental Health Study

The Mental Health Foundation and Swansea University led a repeated cross-sectional study of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescents' mental health (people aged 13 to 19) across Great Britain.

Explore the study