Following the onset of COVID‑19, we have established the Co‑SPACE International Consortium. It united 14 study sites across 10 countries all of whom were seeking to track and compare the pandemic’s impact on youth and family mental health. In this paper, we document our three-year experience of attempting to combine the country-level longitudinal data. In doing so we highlight key challenges and offers actionable recommendations for future global mental health research.
Key Challenges Identified:
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Funding disparities: Mental health research, especially international studies, received delayed and limited funding. High‑income countries were better supported than low‑ and middle‑income countries .
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Ethics approval delays: Inconsistent requirements across regions slowed early-pandemic data collection .
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Data-sharing barriers: Diverse global privacy laws complicated cross-border data governance.
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Cultural/contextual differences: Cross-country comparisons were complicated by differences in how policies were implemented and experienced locally (e.g., school closures).
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Limited comparable instruments: Many culturally relevant or freely available questionnaires were unavailable across sites.
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Research design inconsistencies: Sites differed in sampling, frequency of data collection, and age ranges, making pooling complex.
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Dissemination gaps: Without harmonized strategies, findings struggled to reach global clinicians, policymakers, and families.
A seven-pillar action plan:
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Build pre-crisis international research networks involving young people, families, and clinicians.
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Increase and fast-track dedicated mental health funding with international scope.
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Standardize data-sharing agreements and ethics protocols pre-established across jurisdictions.
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Develop an open-access, culturally validated measure repository.
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Adopt inclusive, harmonized research designs with agreed sampling and assessment timing.
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Set dissemination plans at the project outset, including lay summaries and policy engagement.
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Empower low-resource regions through capacity-building, mentorship, and equitable publication support.
This paper offers both a cautionary tale and a roadmap for international, longitudinal mental health research. By emphasizing early preparation, cultural sensitivity, shared governance, and proactive dissemination, we urge funders, policymakers, and researchers to adopt this framework to strengthen global mental health responses in future crises.
Read the full paper here.