A theory of youth mental health recovery from a parental perspective

Abstract

Background Mental health disorders have a negative impact on the individual, society and global economy. The prevalence of mental disorders is increasing in young people, if unaddressed, they may develop into severe and chronic illnesses. Despite this, research into youth mental health recovery is limited. The current study aims to develop a theoretical framework of recovery in youth mental health and identify what facilitates this process. Methods Fourteen parents of children engaged with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service were interviewed in relation to their understanding of youth mental health recovery. The transcripts of these interviews were analysed using the constructivist grounded theory approach. Results A theoretical model of youth mental health was developed. The model provides an understanding of (a) the characteristics of youth mental health recovery, (b) the facilitators of recovery and (c) the barriers to recovery. The theory suggests that due to developmental factors youth mental health recovery occurs within the ecological context of complex social systems. Conclusions The theory reflects elements of existing developmental and recovery research and provides a novel understanding of youth mental health recovery. This model may inform social, government and service attitudes and policy, and highlights areas for future research.

‘Don’t abandon me’: Young people’s experiences of child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient care supporting recovery described in blogs

“…2019; John et al . 2015; Kaplan & Racussen 2013; Kelly & Coughlan 2019; Law et al . 2020; Naughton et al .…”

“…2020). It has been suggested that young people’s recovery differs from adult recovery in some aspects and that conceptualizations of young people’s recovery need to acknowledge that young people are in a period of development (Kelly & Coughlan 2019; Law et al . 2020; Naughton et al .…”

A sort of friend: narratives from young people and parents about collaboration with a mental health outreach team

“…However, many recovery studies have been conducted on an older population, so there is a need for studies that focus on youth experiences in recovery processes (Kelly & Coughlan, 2019;Oswald, 2006). A person's network is an important element in the recovery process, but for young people, family might be even more crucial as parents or guardians might significantly impact decision-making in recovery processes.…”

“…A person's network is an important element in the recovery process, but for young people, family might be even more crucial as parents or guardians might significantly impact decision-making in recovery processes. Existing studies on recovery among young people suggest that this process might be unique because it is nonlinear and calls for individualized approaches (Kelly & Coughlan, 2019). Further, a better understanding of service users' collaboration experiences during recovery processes can contribute to knowledge about how service providers can create more helpful relationships with such users.…”

“…To develop such practices in mental health services, more knowledge is needed about how young people and parents experience getting help during the recovery process (Kelly & Coughlan, 2019;Leamy et al, 2011). Thus, the aim of the current study was to explore how young people and parents experience collaboration with a community-based mental health outreach team that was supporting the young people's recovery processes, using a narrative analysis.…”