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Digital support for young people with their mood and wellbeing

Background

Many young people have problems with mood, and most are not getting any help.

We are now looking at different ways in which to help young people online with their health, mood and well-being.

We have developed an online programme/app with young people and families/carers to support their mood and well-being.

If you would like to take part in this study, please complete the form which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Why are we doing this research?

We are interested in how young people and parents/carers might use the online programme/app, compared to using a digital information pack for mood and well-being, along with any other help they are getting (e.g. school counselling).

It is important to get feedback so that we know how to improve and test this programme further.

If found to be effective, the programme could be made freely available in future.

Who can take part?

  1. Young people who:
  • are between 13 and 19 years of age
  • have had problems with their mood and wellbeing (e.g. feeling down or low in mood)
  • have regular access to the internet.

It does not matter whether they have other support (e.g. school counselling or primary child and adolescent mental health services).

They can also take part if they are under secondary CAMHS – however, we are looking for young people who are not receiving therapy for low mood/depression under the care of secondary CAMHS at the time, and do not have severe mental health difficulties (apart from depression or anxiety) where other support might be more appropriate.

The study is open to young people who live in Wales or Scotland.

2   Their parents and carers

What does it involve?

This shows what will happen if you are happy to take part:

Start of project:

  1. Fill in an online form, talk to us about the project and give consent to take part
  2. Fill in an online questionnaire about your mood and wellbeing, which takes around 25-30 minutes
  3. Receive a link to an online programme/app or digital information pack

Two months after starting:

  1. Fill in the same online questionnaire
  2. If you used the programme, answer extra questions about your feedback, which takes around 10-15 minutes

Two-thirds of young people will have access to the online programme and a third will receive the information pack. A computer will decide which group you will go into.

You can use the programme or pack as much as you like – on your own or with someone else such as a counsellor, parent, carer or friend.

After around two months, if you used the programme, we might ask whether you would like to meet one of us for around 30-60 minutes to discuss your feedback on it, by videoconferencing (eg Zoom, Skype or MS Teams), by phone or face-to-face.

If you used the programme, we will monitor online how you are using it, such as how often you log in, but not what you enter into it, such as how you are feeling – for 6 months from the start of the project.

We will send you gift vouchers as a thank you for taking part and for your time.

Please note

Recruitment for the Digital Support Study has now closed. Thank you very much to all who have helped with this project. Those who are still taking part can continue to access resources available over the next few months.

Please email YouthOnlineStudy@cardiff.ac.uk if you have any questions or if would like help with filling in the form.

If at any point you feel you need support relating to your mental health, please talk to someone you trust (e.g. a parent or carer), a counsellor or therapist (if you are seeing someone), or your family doctor (GP). There are links and contacts at the end of the form below, which might also be helpful. If you fill the form or take part in the study, the research team might contact your GP if they have a serious concern about your wellbeing.

Address:

National Centre for Mental Health, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ

Phone:
+44 (0)29 2068 8401
The National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) is funded by Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales | Privacy Policy