Philippa Collin

Young men's attitudes and behaviour in relation to mental health and technology: Implications for the development of online mental health services

BackgroundThis mixed-methods study was designed to explore young Australian men’s attitudes and behaviour in relation to mental health and technology use to inform the development of online mental health services for young men.MethodsNational online survey of 486 males (aged 16 to 24) and 17 focus groups involving 118 males (aged 16 to 24).ResultsYoung men are heavy users of technology, particularly when it comes to entertainment and connecting with friends, but they are also using technology for finding information and support. The focus group data suggested that young men would be less likely to seek professional help for themselves, citing a preference for self-help and action-oriented strategies instead. Most survey participants reported that they have sought help for a problem online and were satisfied with the help they received. Focus group participants identified potential strategies for how technology could be used to overcome the barriers to help-seeking for young men.ConclusionsThe key challenge for online mental health services is to design interventions specifically for young men that are action-based, focus on shifting behaviour and stigma, and are not simply about increasing mental health knowledge. Furthermore, such interventions should be user-driven, informed by young men’s views and everyday technology practices, and leverage the influence of peers.

Building resilience in young people through meaningful participation

Abstract Building resilience in young people is an important goal if we are to strengthen capacity and promote skills that help to reduce mental health problems. One way to foster resilience in young people is through meaningful youth participation; that is, decision-making by young people that involves meaning, control, and connectedness. Whilst youth participation may occur in recognition of young people’s rights to be involved in all decisions that affect them, meaningful participation can itself enhance a young person’s sense of connectedness, belonging and valued participation, and thereby impact on mental health and well being. Based on its extensive experience working collaboratively with young people, the Inspire Foundation, in partnership with young people, has developed a flexible and diverse approach to youth participation. This paper outlines the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of the model, and discusses the operationalisation of program goals, atmosphere and activities that seek to build resilience through meaningful youth participation.

Providing online support for young people with mental health difficulties : challenges and opportunities explored

Despite its growing popularity there is a paucity of information exploring the potential of the Internet to build a trusted community that helps reduce stigma, facilitates help‐seeking and aids in the prevention or helps in the management of mental health difficulties for young people. Unsupervised online forums or chat rooms hold potential dangers for young people including the possibility of attracting adults who may take advantage of vulnerable adolescents. Contagion with members organizing suicide pacts, or describing suicidal or self‐harming intentions and methods and young people ruminating about feeling depressed are also potential risks. This paper describes the development and conceptual underpinnings of the Reach Out! Online Community Forum, a moderated bulletin board, developed in consultation with, and facilitated by young people aged 16–25. The Forum, although facilitated by young people, is supported and monitored by trained moderators. Anecdotal evidence collected via unsolicited feedback from young people using the Forum suggests that it is a positive, unique and helpful online experience although little is known about the impact on stigma reduction and help seeking in the offline world. Given the proliferation of unsupervised forums and chat rooms there is a need for further research to determine the effectiveness or potential dangers of online forums in mental health prevention and early intervention work.

Everyday youth participation? Contrasting views from Australian policymakers and young people

Youth participation, as a form of consultation within policymaking processes in Australia, has been largely critiqued for its reliance on formal participation mechanisms that are rarely inclusive or representative of a range of young people’s experiences. This article shows that policymakers who are critical of formal methods of youth participation can identify contemporary effective practice and believe initiatives ought to be youth-led, purposeful, provide feedback and be creative and fun. Thus, there is a new awareness by policymakers of the effectiveness of integrating young people’s everyday perspectives into participation. Similarly, it was found that participation and active involvement in decision making was meaningful for young people when it was youth-led, fun and informal, and based on relevant, everyday issues rather than complex policy processes. So why has youth participation remained static and focused mainly on new formal initiatives? To examine this contrast in views and practices, the article presents findings from four discussion groups convened with senior government and community policymakers and a qualitative examination of both marginalized young people’s understanding of youth participation mechanisms and their capacity to influence policymaking that affected their everyday lives.

The internet, youth participation policies, and the development of young people's political identities in Australia

In Australia, renewed interest in the principles of youth participation during the last decade has led to an increase in the development of youth participation policies, in both the government and non-government sectors. At the same time, the internet is being increasingly utilised to promote and implement the aims of these youth participation policies. This paper asks, what is the relationship between youth participation policies, the internet and young peoples political identities? Is the internet simply a vehicle for participation policies – a mechanism for governments and organisations to extend their reach to otherwise disengaged youth? Or is it a space where young people are authoring new forms of participation and political identities? It is argued in this paper that the internet is significant in shaping the relationship between youth participation policies and new political identities in the following ways: it is a unique and autonomous platform for the realisation of project-based political identities; it is a legitimising space for new political practices of young people; and, though it can address some barriers to participation, there is little evidence to suggest that it challenges the economic structural disadvantage that can exclude certain groups of young people. Drawing on empirical research conducted in Australia, this paper provides insights into Australian young peoples experiences of participation, their attitudes to participation policies, and the role of the internet in their participatory activities.

Young men, mental health, and technology: implications for service design and delivery in the digital age.

Background Young men are particularly vulnerable to suicide, drug, and alcohol problems and yet fail to seek appropriate help. An alternative or adjunct to face-to-face services has emerged with widespread uptake of the Internet and related communication technologies, yet very little evidence exists that examines the capacity of the Internet to engage young men and promote help seeking. Objective To explore young people’s attitudes and behaviors in relation to mental health and technology use. The aim was to identify key gender differences to inform the development of online mental health interventions for young men. Methods A cross-sectional online survey of 1038 young people (aged 16 to 24 years) was used. Results Young men are more likely than young women to play computer games, access online video/music content, and visit online forums. More than half of young men and women reported that they sought help for a problem online, and the majority were satisfied with the help they received. Significant gender differences were identified in relation to how young people would respond to a friend in need, with young men being less likely than young women to confront the issue directly. Conclusions Online interventions for young men need to be action-oriented, informed by young men’s views and everyday technology practices, and leverage the important role that peers play in the help-seeking process.

ReachOut.com: The Role of an Online Service for Promoting Help-Seeking in Young People

Abstract Considerable investment over the last decade in strategies to improve mental health and wellbeing in Australia has seen a notable increase in the availability and awareness of youth-specific mental health services as well as an increase in mental health literacy among young people. However, national statistics do not reflect a corresponding increase in help-seeking behaviour among young people. There is limited understanding of how services can promote effective help-seeking in young people – particularly those young people experiencing marginalisation or high levels of psychological distress. In this paper we examine the potential for online mental health services to address the persistent challenge of facilitating help-seeking in young people. This paper presents findings from a study of young people’s use of the online service, ReachOut.com, to examine if and how the service promotes help-seeking. We find that ReachOut.com effectively engages young people – particularly those who are experiencing high levels of psychological distress and supports young people to become service ready. Targeted strategies for young men and other hard-to-reach groups as well as further integration with on and offl ine clinical services are likely to strengthen and systematise the role of ReachOut.com as a gateway service, supporting young people to seek professional support.

Engaging, understanding and including young people in the provision of mental health services.

Suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death among Australians aged 15-24 years. In order to reduce the burden of mental illness it is essential that we not only improve young peoples access to professionals and services but ensure that mental health professionals and young people are better equiped to work together in the treatment and management of mental health disorders. Young people have tradititionally been viewed within the health sector as clients or service recipients. As a result compliance to treatment, whether pharmacological or psychological has been less than ideal. Current evidence suggests that involving young people directly in the development and delivery of services impacts positively on the individuals experience and service uptake. This paper is based on conference presentations by Reach Out! Youth Ambassadors Rosie Swanton and Ingrid Sorensen at the Australian and New Zealand Adolescent Health Conference in Sydney. These presentations explored Reach Out! a unique Australian Internet-based mental health service for young people. Since launching in 1998 it has been accessed by over four million users and 332 young people have been directly involved in the development and delivery of the serivce. This paper describes the Reach Out! youth participation model as a case study in youth participation. It presents and suggests practical steps to engage, understand and involve young people to increase the impact of mental health professionals and services in addressing the mental health needs of young people.

Participatory Research as One Piece of the Puzzle: A Systematic Review of Consumer Involvement in Design of Technology-Based Youth Mental Health and Well-Being Interventions

Background Despite the potential of technology-based mental health interventions for young people, limited uptake and/or adherence is a significant challenge. It is thought that involving young people in the development and delivery of services designed for them leads to better engagement. Further research is required to understand the role of participatory approaches in design of technology-based mental health and well-being interventions for youth. Objective To investigate consumer involvement processes and associated outcomes from studies using participatory methods in development of technology-based mental health and well-being interventions for youth. Methods Fifteen electronic databases, using both resource-specific subject headings and text words, were searched describing 2 broad concepts-participatory research and mental health/illness. Grey literature was accessed via Google Advanced search, and relevant conference Web sites and reference lists were also searched. A first screening of titles/abstracts eliminated irrelevant citations and documents. The remaining citations were screened by a second reviewer. Full text articles were double screened. All projects employing participatory research processes in development and/or design of (ICT/digital) technology-based youth mental health and well-being interventions were included. No date restrictions were applied; English language only. Data on consumer involvement, research and design process, and outcomes were extracted via framework analysis. Results A total of 6210 studies were reviewed, 38 full articles retrieved, and 17 included in this study. It was found that consumer participation was predominantly consultative and consumerist in nature and involved design specification and intervention development, and usability/pilot testing. Sustainable participation was difficult to achieve. Projects reported clear dichotomies around designer/researcher and consumer assumptions of effective and acceptable interventions. It was not possible to determine the impact of participatory research on intervention effectiveness due to lack of outcome data. Planning for or having pre-existing implementation sites assisted implementation. The review also revealed a lack of theory-based design and process evaluation. Conclusions Consumer consultations helped shape intervention design. However, with little evidence of outcomes and a lack of implementation following piloting, the value of participatory research remains unclear.

Preventing youth disengagement and promoting engagement

This discussion paper was commissioned by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) to help clarify the problem of youth disengagement - its nature, magnitude, issues and trends - with a strong focus on including the voices and perceptions of young people. The paper includes a comprehensive literature review, an analysis of individual and social pathways to youth disengagement, and an analysis of ‘what works best’ across five case studies: substance abuse; community violence; school disengagement; civic participation; and youth mental health reform. The paper will inform discussion at a workshop to be held in late 2008.