The Attune Project Zines: Adolescent Mental Health

These are zines produced with young people illuminating their lived experiences of ACEs.

The ATTUNE research collaboration explored the individual, environmental, social, economic, educational and geographical factors that influenced young peoples’ mental health.

ATTUNE aimed to understand the pathways of risk and resilience from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to adolescent mental health outcomes. To do this, it brought together a national consortium of academic, public sector, voluntary and community sector, and charity partners. The project used participatory, arts-based research methods alongside epidemiology and health economics.

ACEs are highly stressful or traumatic events that can have a lasting impact on health and wellbeing throughout a person’s lifetime. Almost half of young people experience at least one ACE, and one in ten experience four or more. Examples can include abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, substance misuse in the family and discrimination.

Through creative, co-designed research activities with young people, ATTUNE uncovered new insights into how these experiences affect mental health, and how support services can respond in ways that young people find meaningful and validating.