scholarly journals AFFIRM Online: Utilising an Affirmative Cognitive–Behavioural Digital Intervention to Improve Mental Health, Access, and Engagement among LGBTQA+ Youth and Young Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1541
Author(s):  
Shelley L. Craig ◽  
Vivian W. Y. Leung ◽  
Rachael Pascoe ◽  
Nelson Pang ◽  
Gio Iacono ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Health Access ◽  
Digital Interventions ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
And Gender

Digital mental health interventions may enable access to care for LGBTQA+ youth and young adults that face significant threats to their wellbeing. This study describes the preliminary efficacy of AFFIRM Online, an eight-session manualised affirmative cognitive behavioural group intervention delivered synchronously. Participants (Mage = 21.17; SD = 4.52) had a range of sexual (e.g., queer, lesbian, pansexual) and gender (e.g., non-binary, transgender, cisgender woman) identities. Compared to a waitlist control (n = 50), AFFIRM Online participants (n = 46) experienced significantly reduced depression (b = −5.30, p = 0.005, d = 0.60) and improved appraisal of stress as a challenge (b = 0.51, p = 0.005, d = 0.60) and having the resources to meet those challenges (b = 0.27, p = 0.059, d = 0.39) as well active coping (b = 0.36, p = 0.012, d = 0.54), emotional support (b = 0.38, p = 0.017, d = 0.51), instrumental support (b = 0.58, p < 0.001, d = 0.77), positive framing (b = 0.34, p = 0.046, d = 0.42), and planning (b = 0.41, p = 0.024, d = 0.49). Participants reported high acceptability. This study highlights the potential of digital interventions to impact LGBTQA+ youth mental health and explores the feasibility of digital mental health to support access and engagement of youth with a range of identities and needs (e.g., pandemic, lack of transportation, rural locations). Findings have implications for the design and delivery of digital interventions for marginalised youth and young adults.

scholarly journals Scoping review of stepped care interventions for mental health and substance use service delivery to youth and young adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Berger ◽  
Saranee Fernando ◽  
AnnMarie Churchill ◽  
Peter Cornish ◽  
Joanna Henderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Stepped Care ◽  
Youth And Young Adults

Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: An Observational Cohort Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Estelle Whitton ◽  
Rebecca Hardy ◽  
Kate Cope ◽  
Chilin Gieng ◽  
Leanne Gow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Health Screening ◽  
Mental Health Screening ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Treatment Recommendation ◽  
Digital Interventions ◽  
Digital Intervention ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
General Practices

BACKGROUND Digital mental health interventions will play a critical role in managing the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, enhancing their uptake is a key priority. General Practitioners (GPs) are well-positioned to facilitate access to digital interventions, but tools that assist GPs in identifying suitable patients are lacking. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effectiveness of a web-based mental health screening and treatment-recommendation tool (‘StepCare’) for improving the detection of anxiety and depression in general practice, and subsequently, uptake of digital mental health interventions. METHODS StepCare screens patients for symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) in the GP waiting room. It provides GPs with stepped treatment recommendations that include digital mental health interventions for mild-to-moderate symptoms. Patients (n=5,138) from 85 general practices across Australia were invited to take part in screening. RESULTS Depression and/or anxiety was detected in 43.1% of patients screened (one quarter were previously undiagnosed/untreated). The majority (89.5%) of previously undiagnosed/untreated patients had mild-to-moderate symptoms and were candidates for digital mental health interventions. Although less than half were prescribed a digital intervention by their GP, when a digital intervention was prescribed, over two thirds of patients used it. CONCLUSIONS Implementing mental health screening in general practices can increase patient access to digital mental health interventions. Although GPs prescribed digital interventions less frequently than in-person psychotherapy or medication, the promising rates of uptake by GP-referred patients suggests that GPs can play a critical role in championing digital interventions and maximising the associated benefits.

scholarly journals Hope, optimism and delusion

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McGuire-Snieckus
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Negative Thought ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Economic Influences ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
The Individual

SummaryOptimism is generally accepted by psychiatrists, psychologists and other caring professionals as a feature of mental health. Interventions typically rely on cognitive–behavioural tools to encourage individuals to ‘stop negative thought cycles’ and to ‘challenge unhelpful thoughts’. However, evidence suggests that most individuals have persistent biases of optimism and that excessive optimism is not conducive to mental health. How helpful is it to facilitate optimism in individuals who are likely to exhibit biases of optimism already? By locating the cause of distress at the individual level and ‘unhelpful’ cognitions, does this minimise wider systemic social and economic influences on mental health?

scholarly journals The need for accessible mental health interventions for young adults in the COVID-19 pandemic: A student psychologists’ perspective and rapid systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilan Hulaj ◽  
Sophie Antesberger ◽  
Tabea Blum ◽  
Raffaela Böswald ◽  
Hannah M. Brandl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
General Population ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Mental Health Interventions

Importance: Although young adults are on average less affected by the physical consequences of COVID-19 infections, showing less severe disease progression and lower mortality risk, they suffer strongly from the mental health impact of the pandemic.Objective: We, a group of psychology students experiencing these impacts, aim to provide an overview of the existing literature on prevention and intervention efforts to effectively reduce the development of, or suffering from, mental health problems in young adults (18-35) during the COVID-19 pandemic.Evidence Review: A rapid systematic review was conducted to identify studies focusing on the implementation of mental health interventions for young adults of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Literature was searched with Pubmed and Web of Science on June 17, 2021. The quality of each study was assessed by two reviewers with the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers.Findings: Of N = 76 records initially screened, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Six applied web-based interventions, of which four were randomized controlled trials. Interventions were based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches (n = 5), mindfulness practices, logo-autobiography, and synergistic thinking methods. The interventions varied in length from single sessions to multiple sessions over a period of up to 10 weeks. All interventions were effective in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as stress with small to medium effect sizes and a symptom reduction up to 78.9%. With only three studies being of high quality, the overall quality was low.Conclusions and Relevance: Research on mental health interventions for young adults in the general population during the pandemic is sparse. However, all interventions resulted in symptoms reductions and thus have been shown to be effective ways of counteracting the potential development of mental disorders during times of uncertainty, with high levels of stress, such as during a pandemic. Therefore, we propose a concept for an innovative and cost-effective web-based platform to structure and raise awareness for existing measures.

scholarly journals Use of the Principles of Design Thinking to Address Limitations of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Youth: Viewpoint (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanneke Scholten ◽  
Isabela Granic
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
New Wave ◽  
Digital Interventions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
Principles Of Design ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Scientific Standards

UNSTRUCTURED Numerous reviews and meta-analyses have indicated the enormous potential of technology to improve the appeal, effectiveness, cost, and reach of mental health interventions. However, the promise of digital mental health interventions for youth has not yet been realized. Significant challenges have been repeatedly identified, including engagement, fidelity, and the lack of personalization. We introduce the main tenets of design thinking and explain how they can specifically address these challenges, with an entirely new toolbox of mindsets and practices. In addition, we provide examples of a new wave of digital interventions to demonstrate the applicability of design thinking to a wide range of intervention goals. In the future, it will be critical for scientists and clinicians to implement their scientific standards, methods, and review outlets to evaluate the contribution of design thinking to the next iteration of digital mental health interventions for youth.

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