Mendes Josimar Antônio de Alcântara, Murta Sheila Giardini, Siston Felipe Rodrigues, da Cunha Rafaela de Oliveira, Seabra Brenda Thallys Rocha, Ferreira Julyana Alves, de Souza Rafa Ribeiro Alves, Santos Victor Hugo de Lima, Singh Ilina, Pavarini Gabriela
Institute of Psychology, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Brazil.
Responsible Technology Institute, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
BMJ Open. 2024 Dec 7;14(12):e084996. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084996.
This study investigated how Brazilian young people perceive their role in promoting and supporting their peer community's mental health and well-being, and the conditions and contexts influencing their engagement.
Co-produced qualitative study using in-depth interviews and focus groups with adolescents. The sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and anonymised. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Data collection took place remotely across Brazil via audio or video calls conducted by a youth collaborator and a senior researcher.
46 Brazilian adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years old, recruited primarily via social media.
Our analysis generated four overarching themes: (1) young people's sense of responsibility and motivation-many participants felt committed to promoting the mental health and well-being of their friends and community, while also critically emphasising responsibilities of and partnerships with adult stakeholders to make a meaningful difference; (2) strategies for promoting peer mental health-suggested strategies included peer-to-peer support, such as non-judgemental listening, and collective actions such as forming school groups; (3) intrapersonal barriers-key barriers to participation included a lack of necessary skills and self-efficacy; and (4) contextual barriers-young people reported feeling unheard, invalidated, and fearing judgement due to mental health stigma.
These findings support an ecological view of youth participation in the promotion of mental health as dependent on intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual factors. Realising young people's potential in advancing mental health in their communities requires fostering youth-adult partnerships, providing peer support training, and combating adultism and mental health stigma.
本研究调查了巴西年轻人如何看待自己在促进和支持同龄人社区心理健康与幸福方面的作用，以及影响他们参与的条件和背景。
采用与青少年进行深入访谈和焦点小组讨论的共同定性研究。会议进行了录音、转录并匿名处理。数据采用反思性主题分析进行分析。
数据收集通过一名青年合作者和一名资深研究人员进行的音频或视频通话在巴西各地远程进行。
46名年龄在15至18岁之间的巴西青少年，主要通过社交媒体招募。
我们的分析产生了四个总体主题：（1）年轻人的责任感和动机——许多参与者感到有责任促进朋友和社区的心理健康与幸福，同时也批判性地强调了与成年利益相关者的责任和伙伴关系，以产生有意义的影响；（2）促进同龄人心理健康的策略——建议的策略包括同伴之间的支持，如不加评判地倾听，以及集体行动，如成立学校团体；（3）个人内部障碍——参与的关键障碍包括缺乏必要的技能和自我效能感；（4）背景障碍——年轻人报告称，由于心理健康方面的污名，他们感到自己的声音未被听到、被忽视，并害怕受到评判。
这些发现支持了一种生态观点，即青年参与促进心理健康取决于个人内部、人际和背景因素。要发挥年轻人在推进其社区心理健康方面的潜力，需要促进青年与成人的伙伴关系，提供同伴支持培训，并消除成人主义和心理健康污名。
