is a vibrant group of multi-disciplinary researchers and PhD students working together to deliver research that aims to improve mental health and wellbeing among young people https://bathmhrg.org/ . You will also be eligible to become a member of the NIHR academy with access to additional training and development opportunities.

Background:

Mental health concerns among young people are increasing, with concerns typically focused on low mood, anxiety and depression, which in turn can impact educational attainment and lead to social withdrawal. When assessing quality of life for use in economic evaluation, NICE recommended measures, EQ-5D, predominantly focus on physical health functioning. There is a debate around the most suitable measures for use in mental health economic evaluations, with arguments for broader wellbeing measures over more specific mental health measures.

The ICECAP suite of measures are designed to measure capability wellbeing across the life course for use in economic evaluation. The measures include those for children and young people (ICECAP-CYP: 0-5, 6-11, 11-15) and those for adults ICECAP A (18+) and ICECAP- O ( 65+). Each of these measures cover attributes that were found to be important to that age group in the UK. There is growing interest in applying ICECAP in mental health with some evidence on sensitivity and responsiveness of ICECAP-A and ICECAP-O in the setting. However, as mental health can fluctuate there is little evidence on the validity of measures with standard recall periods (i.e. 'at the moment'). Furthermore, whilst age specific measures have been designed for 15 years old and younger and the ICECAP-A is for use in18+ years old, there is a gap between 16-17 years old and as ICECAP-A was predominantly designed with an older adult population, the choice of which measure to use in the 16-25 age range is unclear.

Aim:

The aim of this PhD is to determine which ICECAP measure to use and how when evaluating mental health conditions in young people aged between 16-25

1. Assess the validity, sensitivity and responsiveness of ICECAP-A and ICECAP-CYP measures in this population, taking into consideration recall and timing of assessment
2. Explore how young people's values differ across the two measures

Possible methods:

• A systematic review of studies evaluating the use of preference-based measures in mental health in adolescence
• Qualitative interviews, including think-aloud techniques, with people aged 16-25 with a mental health condition to explore the completion of measures and most suitable recall
• Valuation study, for example designing and analysing findings from a best worst scaling study to explore how young people's values differ across the two measures

Supervisors:

Sabina Sanghera (University of Bristol), Paul Mitchell (University of Bristol) and Lucy Maddox (University of Bath).

Keywords:

young people, mental health, wellbeing, discrete choice experiment, valuation

Candidate requirements:

Applications are sought from high-performing individuals who have, or are expected to obtain, a good degree (UK 2.1 or equivalent) in a relevant Economics or Social Science subject, with a demonstrable interest in the topic. Possession of a relevant Master's degree or research experience would be advantageous but is not required.

How to apply:

When applying, candidates must select the 'Population Health Sciences PhD' programme with September 2026 start date and enter supervisor names as listed under the project title for which they are applying. Please state Faculty of Health and Life Sciences in the funding box. Full details on what to include in your application can be found in the Population Health Sciences Admissions Statement. You do not need to submit a research proposal.

Personal statement:

Please provide a personal statement that describes the relevance of your training and experience, your motivation for applying for this PhD, and any ideas you have for further development of the project proposal. We are keen to support applicants from minority and under-represented backgrounds (based on protected characteristics) and those who have experienced other challenges or disadvantages. We encourage you to use your personal statement to ensure we can take these factors into account.

Funding notes:

The studentship is fully funded for three years. The funding covers tuition fees for home students and a stipend of £21,169. Fees to cover training and research costs are available and will be agreed as needed. Overseas students are welcome to apply – you will need to pay the difference between home and overseas fees

Deadline:

Applications for this project will close on Wednesday 30th September 2026. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 13th October 2026. The anticipated start date is October 2026 or January 2027. Please get in touch to discuss alternative start dates.

Application enquiries:

For questions about the project, please contact the primary supervisor Sabina Sanghera (sabina.sanghera@bristol.ac.uk). For questions about applying, please contact our admissions team at uob-pgradmissiona@bristol.ac.uk

is a vibrant group of multi-disciplinary researchers and PhD students working together to deliver research that aims to improve mental health and wellbeing among young people https://bathmhrg.org/ . You will also be eligible to become a member of the NIHR academy with access to additional training and development opportunities.

Background:

Mental health concerns among young people are increasing, with concerns typically focused on low mood, anxiety and depression, which in turn can impact educational attainment and lead to social withdrawal. When assessing quality of life for use in economic evaluation, NICE recommended measures, EQ-5D, predominantly focus on physical health functioning. There is a debate around the most suitable measures for use in mental health economic evaluations, with arguments for broader wellbeing measures over more specific mental health measures.

The ICECAP suite of measures are designed to measure capability wellbeing across the life course for use in economic evaluation. The measures include those for children and young people (ICECAP-CYP: 0-5, 6-11, 11-15) and those for adults ICECAP A (18+) and ICECAP- O ( 65+). Each of these measures cover attributes that were found to be important to that age group in the UK. There is growing interest in applying ICECAP in mental health with some evidence on sensitivity and responsiveness of ICECAP-A and ICECAP-O in the setting. However, as mental health can fluctuate there is little evidence on the validity of measures with standard recall periods (i.e. 'at the moment'). Furthermore, whilst age specific measures have been designed for 15 years old and younger and the ICECAP-A is for use in18+ years old, there is a gap between 16-17 years old and as ICECAP-A was predominantly designed with an older adult population, the choice of which measure to use in the 16-25 age range is unclear.

Aim:

The aim of this PhD is to determine which ICECAP measure to use and how when evaluating mental health conditions in young people aged between 16-25

1. Assess the validity, sensitivity and responsiveness of ICECAP-A and ICECAP-CYP measures in this population, taking into consideration recall and timing of assessment
2. Explore how young people's values differ across the two measures

Possible methods:

• A systematic review of studies evaluating the use of preference-based measures in mental health in adolescence
• Qualitative interviews, including think-aloud techniques, with people aged 16-25 with a mental health condition to explore the completion of measures and most suitable recall
• Valuation study, for example designing and analysing findings from a best worst scaling study to explore how young people's values differ across the two measures

Supervisors:

Sabina Sanghera (University of Bristol), Paul Mitchell (University of Bristol) and Lucy Maddox (University of Bath).

Keywords:

young people, mental health, wellbeing, discrete choice experiment, valuation

Candidate requirements:

Applications are sought from high-performing individuals who have, or are expected to obtain, a good degree (UK 2.1 or equivalent) in a relevant Economics or Social Science subject, with a demonstrable interest in the topic. Possession of a relevant Master's degree or research experience would be advantageous but is not required.

How to apply:

When applying, candidates must select the 'Population Health Sciences PhD' programme with September 2026 start date and enter supervisor names as listed under the project title for which they are applying. Please state Faculty of Health and Life Sciences in the funding box. Full details on what to include in your application can be found in the Population Health Sciences Admissions Statement. You do not need to submit a research proposal.

Personal statement:

Please provide a personal statement that describes the relevance of your training and experience, your motivation for applying for this PhD, and any ideas you have for further development of the project proposal. We are keen to support applicants from minority and under-represented backgrounds (based on protected characteristics) and those who have experienced other challenges or disadvantages. We encourage you to use your personal statement to ensure we can take these factors into account.

Funding notes:

The studentship is fully funded for three years. The funding covers tuition fees for home students and a stipend of £21,169. Fees to cover training and research costs are available and will be agreed as needed. Overseas students are welcome to apply – you will need to pay the difference between home and overseas fees

Deadline:

Applications for this project will close on Wednesday 30th September 2026. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 13th October 2026. The anticipated start date is October 2026 or January 2027. Please get in touch to discuss alternative start dates.

Application enquiries:

For questions about the project, please contact the primary supervisor Sabina Sanghera (sabina.sanghera@bristol.ac.uk). For questions about applying, please contact our admissions team at uob-pgradmissiona@bristol.ac.uk