Supporting youth mental health is a key national and international policy objective. Evidence indicates that how
adolescents spend their leisure time – including the type of physical, social or creative recreation activities they
engage in – can have important implications for their mental wellbeing.
However, existing research in Ireland is limited, with little known about the type, frequency and number of leisure
activities youth engage in or the comparative effect that different online/offline leisure activities have on youth
mental health. Additionally, there is a lack of research examining how these patterns and relationships fluctuate
across time, developmental stage, geographical region or socio-economic factors.
The project will aim to address these knowledge gaps through the secondary analysis of two large, datasets –
Planet Youth (cross-sectional data from a regional cohort of 15–16-year-olds in Ireland, biannually from 2018-
2026) and Growing up in Ireland (longitudinal data from a nationally representative cohort of adolescents).
Specifically, the research aims to:
1. Identify and track trends/patterns in adolescents’ online and offline leisure practices concurrently, over
time (2018-2026) and across adolescence (aged 9-18 years).
2. Determine whether youth’s leisure participation varies across social- (e.g., gender, family background),
and geographical- (e.g. availability of amenities; deprivation index) profiles.
3. Examine the relationship between leisure activity patterns and adolescent mental health across key
temporal (2018-2026) and developmental (9-18 years) periods.
Through multilevel modelling and latent class/transition analyses – and the support of a youth advisory group –
this research will shed light on how adolescent mental health and leisure practices have changed over time, and
generate key developmental insights on how leisure participation impacts mental health across adolescence.
Findings will provide timely, policy-relevant evidence for youth services, community organisations, and local
authorities that aim to enhance mental health outcomes through accessible, inclusive leisure supports.
