Previous research indicates that far too many young people struggle with mental health issues, and the trend is moving in the wrong direction. Mental illnesses and mental health problems are prevalent among youth in Denmark and have increased over the past decade. Young people with mental health struggles are more vulnerable in several areas, including higher school absenteeism, lower satisfaction with going to school, more frequent experiences of loneliness and stress, and significantly lower self-esteem and life satisfaction. This development demands attention and a solid foundation for action.
Purpose
The vision of the project is to support young people with mental health struggles by improving their mental well-being through developing and improving resources and initiatives on Mindhelper.dk, as well as integrating these resources more effectively with stakeholders who frequently interact with young people. It is central to involve young people, as they will identify key issues and needs, which will have a large impact on the design of the mental health initiatives tailored to their requirements.
Mindhelper.dk is Denmark’s largest digital mental health service with over 1.100.000 visits in 2023. The project’s aim is to 1) Strengthen Mindhelper as a solid and trustworthy source of knowledge about young people’s experiences and needs related to mental health challenges and convey this knowledge to relevant stakeholders to implement it in their daily work. 2). To develop Mindhelper and potential new initiatives in close collaboration with young people - from start to finish.
Method
The project consists of five tracks:
- An analysis and needs assessment will form a solid and nuanced knowledge base through the following data sources:
- A thorough and in-deepth analysis of posts on the Q&A platform at Mindhelper.dk
- Interviews and workshops with young students in secondary education institutions.
- Interviews with guidance counselors, educators, school leaders and other stakeholders.
- Desk research summarizing existing knowledge on mental health challenges among young people.
- Traffic analyses from Mindhelper.dk
- Based on the knowledge foundation from track 1, a user-centered design process will be conducted to ensure that the developed initiatives align with the target group’s desires and needs.
- After completing the design process, initiatives will be developed.
- To ensure awareness of Mindhelper and the newly developed initiatives, there will be a focus on dissemination and implementation through, among other things, school visits, advertising campaigns, and email campaigns targeted stakeholders and professionals.
- Finally, an impact- and process evaluation of the developed initiatives will be conducted. The data sources used includes:
- Surveys targeted professionals and young people.
- Interviews with professionals and young people.
- Web statistics and traffic data.
Project period
2024-2026
Collaboration and funding
The project is funded by TrygFonden
The project is based on a regional partnership involving the National Institute of Public Health, The Center for Digital Psychiatry, TrygFonden and Tryghedsgruppen’s regional council in Southern Denmark. The National Institute of Public Health leads the research components (track 1 and 5), while the Center of Digital Psychiatry is responsible for the user-centered design process, intervention development, dissemination and implementation (track 2-4).