Progressing participatory research with young people in India: how a youth advisory board supported a large mental health project in Bengaluru

Despite the stigma attached to mental health in India, our study shows that YABs are a feasible platform to support the involvement of young people in mental health research there. Based on our learning, we set out six recommendations to support YABs in Indian mental health research. These recommendations encourage research teams to: identify diversity and representation goals for YAB constitution; delineate the opportunities and boundaries of youth influence on project delivery; allocate sufficient resources to YAB recruitment, training, activities and communication; consider how young people's learning and accessibility needs and preferences can be ethically surfaced; and plan the monitoring and recording of the YAB's influence as well as the delivery and evaluation of reciprocal benefits to young people directly.