About CO-LUMINATE

CO-LUMINATE

CO-LUMINATE: Co-Creating Knowledge On The Longitudinal Direct And Mediation Relationships Between Youth Mental Health And Social Stress Exposures

This project investigates the longitudinal relationship between social determinants (SES, and caregiver co-residency) and depression symptoms among South African youth aged 13-24.

Leveraging the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), the study creates the CO-LUMINATE dataset by linking longitudinal data from 5,279 adolescents.

The project employs a co-creation model that engages 11 Youth Co-Creators (YCC) to provide thought leadership that refines and nuances the proposed research.

Through co-creation and secondary data analysis, the project generates transformative insights into how key social determinants of mental health relate to symptoms of depression among South African young people.

Novel Contribution

• The project integrates rigorous longitudinal data linkage with a formal youth co-creation process rather than treating youth input as consultative only.
• It focuses on direct and mediation pathways between social stress exposures and depression symptoms in a population-level LMIC youth sample.
• It produces actionable, contextually grounded evidence for advancing youth mental health research and response in South Africa.