Impact of co-created mental health and life-skill workshops with 12-to-16-year-olds from black and mixed ethnic groups during COVID-19 in the UK: a qualitative study.
Co-created mental health and life-skill workshops were perceived to have a positive impact on mental health and helped provide support in coping with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic among Black and mixed ethnic minority young people in London.
Key Findings
Results
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed three superordinate themes encompassing eight codes related to workshop impact on mental health.
The three superordinate themes were: (1) workshop features promoting positive mental health, (2) positive mental health outcomes, and (3) workshop features impeding positive mental health outcomes.
A total of eight codes were clustered across the three superordinate themes.
Analysis was based on verbatim transcripts of one-on-one semi-structured interviews.
Interview length averaged 10 minutes 8 seconds with a range of 3 to 16 minutes.
Results
Young people from Black and mixed ethnic minority groups perceived the co-created workshops to have a positive impact on their mental health.
Participants reported that workshops helped provide support in coping with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study sample consisted of 12 participants (8 female, 3 male) aged 12–16 years (M=16, SD=1.55 years).
Participants attended a West London community centre.
Both benefits and barriers to entry of mental health and life-skill workshops were identified.
Results
Community-based and co-produced workshop design was identified as a key feature perceived as beneficial to mental health outcomes.
Participants co-created, participated in, and fed back on five mental health and life-skill workshops.
The co-creation process involved young people from Black and mixed ethnic minority communities specifically.
Workshop features promoting positive mental health formed one of the three main superordinate themes.
The study highlights that such interventions have rarely been offered or investigated among minority ethnic youth populations despite being effective for other populations.
Results
Barriers to entry and workshop features impeding positive mental health outcomes were identified alongside the benefits.
Workshop features impeding positive mental health outcomes constituted one of the three superordinate themes identified through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Challenges specific to this population group were captured through the qualitative methodology.
The findings highlight both 'potential benefits and barriers to entry of mental health and life-skill workshops for young people from minority ethnic communities.'
These barriers were identified through participant feedback collected via one-on-one semi-structured interviews.
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted the mental health of young people from minority ethnic communities, yet effective psychoeducational interventions have rarely been investigated in this population.
Mental health psychoeducational workshops have been shown to work for other populations but have rarely been offered or investigated among Black and minority ethnic youth.
The study was conducted in London, UK during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
The gap between available interventions and their application to minority ethnic youth populations was a primary motivation for the study.
The study population was specifically 12-to-16-year-olds from Black and mixed ethnic minority groups.
Conclusions
The study findings warrant greater consideration and implementation of community-based, co-produced workshops for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic young people in practice.
The authors conclude that community-based and co-produced workshops 'were perceived as beneficial to mental health by Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic young people.'
The study recommends these approaches warrant 'greater consideration and implementation in practice.'
The qualitative design using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was chosen to examine impact, challenges, and benefits.
The sample size was 12 participants, which is consistent with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology.
What This Means
This research suggests that mental health workshops specifically designed with and for Black and mixed ethnic minority teenagers in London can have a positive effect on their wellbeing. The study involved 12 young people aged 12–16 who helped create, attended, and gave feedback on five mental health and life-skills workshops held at a community centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the workshops, researchers interviewed each participant individually and used a detailed qualitative analysis method to understand their experiences, finding that participants generally felt the workshops helped their mental health and gave them tools to cope with the stresses of the pandemic.
The analysis identified three main themes: workshop features that supported positive mental health, positive mental health outcomes experienced by participants, and features of the workshops that got in the way of positive outcomes. This means the study captured not just what worked well, but also what made it harder for some young people to benefit — providing a more complete picture of how to design these programs effectively. The community-based setting and the fact that young people helped co-create the workshops appeared to be important factors in their perceived success.
This research matters because Black and minority ethnic young people were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on mental health, yet mental health support programs specifically designed for and with this group have rarely been developed or studied. The findings suggest that involving young people from these communities in designing their own mental health support, and delivering it in familiar community settings, may be a promising approach that deserves wider adoption and further investigation.
Pomfret I, Wong K. (2026). Impact of co-created mental health and life-skill workshops with 12-to-16-year-olds from black and mixed ethnic groups during COVID-19 in the UK: a qualitative study.. BMJ open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-107310