Community Voices on Youth Mental Health and Wellness

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

A meta-analysis found that 1 in 4 children and youth globally under the age of 18 experienced clinically elevated depression, and another 1 in 5 children and youth were clinically diagnosed with anxiety symptoms during the pandemic. Marked increases in depression or anxiety, suicides, substance use, and loneliness in recent years were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, ethnoracial background and migration status have been linked to adverse effects on mental health. Also, youth, specifically girls and some non-binary, had the highest prevalence rates of depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia compared to other age groups. In this paper presentation, we will share the findings from three community forums conducted in the summer of 2023 as stage two of a larger community-based participatory action research on children and youth mental health (CYMH) conducted in Alberta, Canada

METHODS:

The CYMH Project used the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to actively engage youth ages 12 to 17, parents/guardians/natural support persons, service providers, community partners, and government officials to address mental health issues among youth. In these community forums we shared findings gathered from earlier stages (i.e., environmental scan and Photovoice) of the CYMH project (CYMH, n.d.) to stimulate discussion. Each community forum was approximately 2.5 hours long. The main research questions for the community forum were: 1) What prevalent mental health issues have not been addressed? 2) How can services be improved to address those issues? 3) What priorities need addressing in the local community? The World Café method (Fouché & Light, 2010) was used to facilitate roundtable discussions and gather inputs.

FINDINGS:

A community forum was conducted in each of the three intentionally selected cities of Calgary (i.e., urban metropolitan), Grande Prairie (i.e., remote north), and Lethbridge (i.e., rural south) in Alberta, Canada. These community forums were well attended by youth, parents/guardians/natural support persons, service providers, community members, government officials, and politicians (n=126). Through thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), three main themes emerged: 1) stressors on youth mental health and wellness; 2) experiences in navigating mental health challenges; and 3) suggested prevention and intervention programs. Under each of the main themes, there are sub-categories. For example, under theme one, the stressors come from: a) family, b) school, c) peers, d) the COVID-19 pandemic, e) improper use of social media or electronics, and f) societal stigma and stereotyping. Further details of the sub-categories and related direct quotes will be shared at the presentation.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS:

Findings from the community forums support the need for: 1) addressing barriers; 2) developing context and/or population-specific prevention and intervention programs; 3) enhancing collaboration between schools and social service organizations; 4) increasing the development of initiatives for equity-deserving groups; and 5) exploring good use of digital technology in youth mental health prevention and intervention work. Implications for social work practice, education, and research will be discussed further.