Dr Rhiannon Barker

My pathway to an NIHR mental health fellowship

– Three Schools' Mental Health Award Fellow

Dr Rhiannon Barker

Assistant Professor

What am I doing?

My research is an interpretive study exploring the intersection between the entry of young people into criminal gangs, school exclusion and mental health. The aim is to talk to young people who are involved with gangs, and explore the language and symbolism they use to explain their social contexts. In addition to this, the study considers how they make sense of their own reality and behaviours. Through an iterative approach to the data, I have integrated a focus on understanding personal, subjective experiences (phenomenological orientation) with the recognition of how social interactions and developmental changes influence individuals. The ambition is to provide insight into the experience and mechanisms underlying gang related behaviours. Unpicking the incentives of gang membership and considering how this varies in different contexts, is an important step towards informing preventative action and formulating proportionate responses. 

What led me to this area of research?

Prior to my NIHR fellowship I worked on another NIHR funded project, conducting case studies in London secondary schools and examining the connection between student mental health and school culture. One of the schools that took part in this research expressed concerns about the number of young people who didn’t return to school post-pandemic. Evidence pointed towards a number of these young people being involved in County Line drug gangs. This, combined with the experience of being the mother of gang-involved son motivated me to strengthen the representation of young people in research and use their voice and experiences to inform policy.