Exploring diverse stakeholder voices to bend the curve of mental ill-health in young people: A Participatory Action Research and Empowerment Evaluation Study

Abstract

The prevalence of mental ill-health poses one of the most serious global public health challenges of the 21st century, particularly the mental health and wellbeing of young people. Australia’s fragmented youth mental health system is failing to meet the needs of young people, and new strategies are required that act at a systemic level. Systems modelling using participatory methods (also known as participatory systems modelling, or PSM) is increasingly being recognised as providing valuable decision-support capability to inform solutions and address complex systems-level challenges. Though PSM is increasingly being adopted to support youth mental health, evaluations are seldom conducted, making it difficult to understand the value of such an approach to improve strategic decision-making. Additionally, the expertise of young people with lived experience of mental ill-health should be valued within the PSM process and in contributing to transformative change in mental health research and policy. This thesis aimed to strengthen evaluation practices in a youth mental health PSM program, exploring diverse stakeholders’ perspectives including young people with lived experience of mental ill-health. This thesis highlights the potential of PSM as a method to improve strategic decision-making in youth mental health policy and planning. It provides recommendations for the necessary preconditions for success in implementing PSM and underscores the importance of youth lived experience expertise in shaping the future of the mental health system.