Editorial: Promoting mental health and wellbeing among young people

Globally, more than one in ten children and adolescents live with a diagnosable mental disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or self-harm, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated action (Kieling et al., 2024). While prevalence rates vary across regions, the overall trend points to a growing global mental health crisis among youth (McGorry et al., 2025). This research topic responds to that crisis by examining trends, determinants, and barriers to mental health care, while showcasing effective, scalable, and culturally responsive interventions. Featuring 41contributions from Asia, Europe, America, and Oceania, this collection reflects a wide geographical and cultural scope. The collection spans diverse methodologies, including longitudinal studies, cross-sectorial studies, randomized trials, systematic reviews, and qualitative research, offering a comprehensive overview of both the challenges facing today's adolescents and young adults, and the solutions being developed to support their mental health and wellbeing. Although the themes covered are wide-ranging, eight interconnected transversal themes emerge: school climate; COVID-19; online behaviors; community, culture, and environment; mental health literacy, stigma and access to care, and promoting mental health. Together, these themes illustrate both the shared global challenges and the context-specific drivers of youth mental health, while also pointing towards possible solutions Figure 1. Themes in the research topic: Promoting mental health and wellbeing among young people School climate Sleep Community, culture, and environment Themes Mental health and COVID-19 Online behaviors Mental health literacy, stigma and care access Promoting mental health School climate Studies in this special issue highlight how adolescent mental health reflects the interaction of socioeconomic resources, school environments, family dynamics, and cognitive-emotional processes. Most of the studies are by Chinese authors, reflecting the impact of a very competitive educational sector on the mental health of young people. Studies in this theme show that financial resources protect against distress, while hardship exacerbates vulnerability as demonstrated in both a study among Ghanaian university students (Quansah et al., 2024), and in a scoping review mapping the evidence on the prevalence of and associated risk factors of stress among adolescents in China (Hao et al., 2024). Girls and older students reported higher stress levels (Ma et al., 2024) and students experiencing study stress or studying medicine or health sciences reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, rural freshmen exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than their urban counterparts (Li trust, stigma, and social context remain critical factors shaping pathways to care. Promoting mental health This theme highlights a range of strategies for promoting youth mental health across everyday settings. Two contributions shed light on community-based approaches: Andersen et al. (2024) showed that peer self-management may reduce depression and anxiety, while Tuaf and Orkibi (2023) presented a scoping review of 27 programs targeting adolescents with mental health challenges. Several studies explored health-promoting interventions in university settings. L. Nielsen et al. (2024) proposed a multi-level framework for mental health promotion in higher education; Brown et al. (2024) reported findings from a pilot study of an exercise-based program; and Wang et al. (2024) offered qualitative insights from an initiative that trained mental health providers to become campus-based champions. In addition, Zuo et al. (2023) conducted a meta-review of 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), showing that mindfulness interventions among college students can reduce depression and anxiety and improve sleep, though effects on mindfulness scores were limited. These contributions demonstrate how youth mental health promotion can take many forms, like peer support, mindfulness, empowerment, and recovery-oriented programs,adapted to diverse cultural and institutional contexts and grounded in inclusion and active engagement. Future directions The eight themes in this special issue reveal a consistent pattern: youth mental health is affected by a dynamic interplay of individual vulnerabilities, relational support, institutional contexts, and broader societal forces. Insights which cohere with other studies of the mental health of young people that points to a rise in poor mental health especially in terms of depression and anxiety.(Coley et al., 2019; Hafstad et al., 2021; Martin Shim et al., 2022). Future research must prioritize multilevel, longitudinal, and cross-cultural approaches that capture these complex dynamics. Policy and practice should focus on six interconnected areas that reflect the evidence presented in this research topic, from everyday settings to emerging digital landscapes: 1. Embedding mental health promotion across schools and universities to address mental health where young live their daily life 2. Integrating family and community contexts into interventions, recognizing that resilience is socially embedded. 3. Expanding prevention to target sleep, mental health literacy, stigma, and early recognition of symptoms and easy access to health care 4. Addressing socioeconomic inequalities, ensuring that financial and structural supports reduce vulnerability. 5. Preparing for future crises, whether pandemics or climate change by investing in sustainable support systems. 6. Addressing the mental health impact of digital environments and emerging technologies, including AI. While not central in this research topic, AI is rapidly entering youth mental health—offering new solutions and treatments but also raising ethical concerns Ultimately, promoting youth mental health is both a clinical and societal responsibility. The evidence gathered here underscores that meaningful progress depends on coordinated action across education, health, community, and policy sectors.