Should we ‘hug a hoodie’? Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions with young people not in employment, education or training (so-called NEETs)

Abstract

BackgroundWhilst the majority of young people succeed in education and make a positive transition to the world of work and adult life, recent statistics identify that youth comprise 40% of the world's unemployed, equating to nearly 75 million individuals. These numbers are associated with both decreased economic activity and adverse well-being, with accompanying social, health and financial costs. As a result, a wide range of providers have implemented interventions targeting this population; however, their relative effectiveness is unknown. This is exacerbated by a diverse literature base, the delivery of provision and policy across multiple sectors and disparate approaches to programme evaluation.Methods and designWe will undertake a systematic review of interventions targeting youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) populations. Only randomised and non-randomised controlled trials will be included. The objectives of the review will be to: (i) systematically review, synthesise and quality appraise experimental evidence on the effects of interventions with NEET young people, (ii) estimate effects on current NEET status, well-being and other relevant psychological and behavioural outcomes, (iii) investigate potential variation in intervention effects among sub-groups stratified by pre-trial duration of current status, socioeconomic status, gender, sub-classifications of NEET individuals and intervention components (e.g. type, frequency, duration, provider and setting) and (iv) assess the robustness of results in separate sensitivity analyses that exclude studies with higher risk of bias (e.g. in terms of study quality) or follow-up length. A rigorous literature search of English language publications post-1990 will be conducted using the following electronic databases: Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, EPPI-Centre (Bibliomap), Social Science Citation Index, British Education Index, Conference Proceedings Index, Dissertation Abstracts, Popline and grey literature collections (e.g. GLADNET). These database searches will be supplemented with hand searching, requests for unpublished literature and website searches.DiscussionA report and executive summary will be developed by the research team with input from consultant stakeholders to aid translation of the findings into practice. The research will be disseminated at national and international conferences and submitted for peer-reviewed publication.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42014007535

Structured activity and multiple group memberships as mechanisms of increased depression amongst young people not in employment, education or training

“…The current findings suggest that NEET young people are vulnerable to experiencing depression through a loss of time spent in structured activity and a reduction in their perceived multiple group memberships. Our findings are in keeping with the need suggested elsewhere to explore interventions which target not only constructive economic activity, but also psychological well‐being and self‐beliefs; which may be influenced by NEET status and also compound existing social disability (Oliver et al, ). Social Recovery Therapy (SRT; Fowler et al, ) focuses on enhancing the time spent in structured activity; including but not limited to EET activities.…”

Are we failing young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs)? A systematic review and meta-analysis of re-engagement interventions

“…A standardised search strategy [22] was used to search English language papers from 1990 to present. We justify narrowing as our focus given that, first, the vast majority of scientific articles are published in English and comprehension of literature would potentially be compromised by translation.…”

Not engaged in education, employment or training (NEET) in an Arctic sociocultural context: the NAAHS cohort study

“…However, NEET-status is a tool with an outcome of primary interest which will include changes in objective status. A transition from NEET-status to non-NEET-status, is a change from disengagement to engagement12 which can have important implications for young people’s quality of life and health 1 21…”

“…The NEET concept can be a useful tool for targeting means of intervention 9 11. Oliver et al 12 emphasises that interventions for engaging people experiencing NEET-status may work well in rural, but not urban areas, during economic growth and not retention, or in conservative but not liberal societies; in other words, a contextual term which can be applied also within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries 2 5…”

“…Work is also an important source of social inclusion and affects health in a positive way 21. The individual and the society therefore, have an interest in youth starting adult life in education, employment or in training 1 7 8 12…”