Wright, Michaela
Universität Graz, Österreich
International studies indicate that the mental health of children and adolescents deteriorated significantly during the pandemic (Raccanello et al., 2022). The extent to which this has improved in the meantime, is largely unclear. These circumstances emphasize the need to promote mental health and resilience in this age group. Evidence-based digital programs are an effective approach to address this need and due to the affinity and preference of young people for digital technologies, there has been an increase in prevention programs offered as digital tools (Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones et al., 2018). Among the many advantages of digital technologies are that they can be used independently of time and place, that anonymity may be preserved and that, when well-tailored to the needs of the target group, they can foster engagement and promote the transfer of specific skills into young people’s daily lives (Lucas-Thompson et al., 2019). Their efficacy has been observed for various mental health problems including anxiety and depression (Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones et al., 2018; Wright et al., 2023). Digital programs are especially effective when the content is presented in an engaging way, when the setting of implementation and the role of different technologies are carefully considered, and when the specific characteristics and needs of the target group are taken into account (Baños et al., 2017). If an inclusive and participatory research approach is taken, the needs of the target group can be considered. Inclusive research requires the active involvement of children and adolescents, acknowledging/ recognizing the whole range of diverse identities, especially those of marginalized youth. Their voices are of high relevance (Wickenden & Lopez Franco, 2022), particularly in the development and implementation of digital prevention programs designed to serve their well-being (Wright et al., 2023). When prevention programs are developed, they should be especially tailored to the needs of youth to be able to reach them. To ensure, that the life realities of as many children and adolescents as possible will be met, researchers look for and create opportunities for youth to participate in the development of such prevention programs (Wickenden & Lopez Franco, 2022). Their participation is crucial as they are experts and have the best knowledge about their own lives (Johnson & West, 2022). The symposium will focus on the implementation and results of three activities conducted with ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) level 2 students from Austria, Poland, and Slovenia. These activities were part of the participatory workshops of the Erasmus+ project me_HeLi-D, which aims to promote mental health literacy and diversity. The symposium includes a brief introduction to the project and its participatory approach, followed by three contributions of the project partners in Austria, Slovenia and Poland. The following research questions will be discussed on both national and cross-national level: - What stressors are relevant to students and need to be considered when developing a digital prevention program? - What are resources and nurturing activities that empower and relax students? - What design characteristics and features should be taken into account when developing a digital prevention program so that students find it engaging? The symposium will be guided by the external discussant Dr. Nicole Brown, who is an expert in research ethics and integrity as well as participatory research. Findings of the national workshops will be summarized and compared cross-nationally. Differences and similarities among the findings of each country will be highlighted and discussed, followed by a conclusion of the symposium that includes perspectives for the systematic implementation of successful participatory research with children and adolescents. Additionally, specific recommendations will be provided for the further development of evidence-based prevention programs that are tailored to the needs of the target group.
Baños, R. M., Etchemendy, E., Mira, A., Riva, G., Gaggioli, A., Botella, C. (2017). Online Positive Interventions to Promote Well-Being and Resilience in the Adolescent Population: A Narrative Review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00010 Johnson, V., & West, A. (2022). Approaches and Creative Research Methods with Children and Youth. In: D. Burns, J. Howard & S. M. Ospina. The SAGE handbook of participatory research and inquiry. (Vols. 1-2). SAGE Publications Ltd, 306-320. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529769432 Lucas-Thompson, R. G., Broderick, P. C., Coatsworth, J. D., & Smyth, J. M. (2019). New Avenues for Promoting Mindfulness in Adolescence using mHealth. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(1), 131–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1256-4 Raccanello D, Rocca E, Vicentini G, Brondino M. (2022). Eighteen Months of COVID-19 Pandemic Through the Lenses of Self or Others: A Meta-Analysis on Children and Adolescents' Mental Health. Child Youth Care Forum, 52(4):737-760. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-022-09706-9 Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones, J., Santesteban-Echarri, O., Pryor, I., McGorry, P., & Alvarez-Jimenez, M. (2018). Web-Based Mindfulness Interventions for Mental Health Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JMIR Mental Health, 5(3), e10278. https://doi.org/10.2196/10278 Wickenden, M., & Lopez Franco, E. (2022). Don’t Leave Us Out: Disability Inclusive Participatory Research – Why and How? In: D. Burns, J. Howard & S. M. Ospina. The SAGE handbook of participatory research and inquiry. (Vols. 1-2). SAGE Publications Ltd, 321-338. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529769432 Wright, M., Reitegger, F., Cela, H., Papst, A., & Gasteiger-Klicpera, B. (2023). Interventions with Digital Tools for Mental Health Promotion among 11-18 Year Olds: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of youth and adolescence, 52(4), 754–779. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01735-4