Social Health

Social Health Hub

The Social Health Hub is generating new knowledge on how the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age influence how severe mental illnesses (SMI) affect people over time, and shape how people respond to their conditions. 

Social Health is based at Queen Mary University of London and led by Professor Jennifer Lau.

Research

We know SMI are influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Yet most treatments for SMIs only target the biological and psychological. This hub focuses on social determinants and the broader systems that shape everyday life. 

The team are investigating aspects across the social environment. Some of these reflect economic and physical aspects of the environment, others reflect interpersonal relationships and networks. We will then use this information to develop and advocate for “social interventions” designed to support people with SMIs as they manage their conditions and build resilience. By encouraging the use of resources in people's social networks and communities, the impact on people’s wellbeing should be long lasting and cost-effective. 

To understand the ways that SMIs affect people over time and how people respond to their conditions, researchers will combine clinical and demographic information with data about the social environment. The team will investigate how factors such as neighbourhood deprivation, housing, air pollution and access to and engagement with open, social, recreational and cultural spaces affect outcomes for people with SMI. Researchers will also investigate the day-to-day social relationships of people with SMI, and how these relationships impact mood, stress, thought patterns and health. Additionally, the team are interested in the potential benefits of social prescribing and community organising as part of integrated care systems for people with SMI – recognising that mental health should not be addressed solely through clinical care. 

How do people with lived experience work with the Hub?

The Hub researchers are working closely with their Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) throughout the research process. By better understanding and addressing the social health of people with SMI, the team aims to foster a community-based approach to collectively support people with SMIs. The approach will investigate the role that social connections play in overcoming stigma and fostering identity, belonging and resilience. This approach will help share the responsibility of mental illness, easing the load on individuals and their families.