Steffen Mariana Willmersdorf, Murray Aisling J, Mohammed Imaan, van Loggerenberg Francois, Heritage Paul, Lau Jennifer Y F
Youth Resilience Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Psychology Department, Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK.
Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 May 17. doi: 10.1007/s00787-025-02734-5.
Recent years have seen a rise in mental health challenges among children and young people (CYP), while frontline treatments remain limited. Social prescribing (SP), a holistic approach using community resources to empower individuals in managing their health, offers a potentially more sustainable and acceptable option for supporting CYP's mental health. Although early evidence is promising, little is known about how SP works. Following the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions (Skivington et al., 2021), this study explores the active ingredients and contextual factors of SP in supporting CYP mental health. Nineteen professionals involved in delivering SP to CYP with mental health difficulties were interviewed. Through template analysis, four active ingredients were identified: (1) SP offers a holistic approach that involves tailoring programmes to a young person's needs, interests and their readiness, (2) SP offers young people an opportunity to exercise agency in defining their care pathway and engaging in their recovery journey, (3) The development of a professional but unpressured supportive relationship with a skilled adult is an important factor in SP, and (4) SP offers a safe space for young people to discuss their emotional needs and health. Additionally, four contextual factors influencing SP delivery were identified: (1) Supportive organisational environments, (2) Parental buy-in, (3) Public awareness, and (4) Barriers to access. Defining these active ingredients and contextual factors can help consolidate SP for CYP's mental health, contributing to its wider adoption and impact.
近年来，儿童和青少年（CYP）面临的心理健康挑战有所增加，而一线治疗方法仍然有限。社会处方（SP）是一种利用社区资源帮助个人管理自身健康的整体方法，为支持CYP的心理健康提供了一种可能更具可持续性和可接受性的选择。尽管早期证据很有前景，但对于SP的工作原理知之甚少。遵循英国医学研究委员会（MRC）制定和评估复杂干预措施的框架（斯基文顿等人，2021年），本研究探讨了SP在支持CYP心理健康方面的有效成分和背景因素。对19名参与为有心理健康问题的CYP提供SP服务的专业人员进行了访谈。通过模板分析，确定了四个有效成分：（1）SP提供一种整体方法，包括根据年轻人的需求、兴趣和准备程度量身定制方案；（2）SP为年轻人提供了一个机会，使其能够在确定自己的护理途径和参与康复过程中发挥作用；（3）与熟练的成年人建立专业但无压力的支持性关系是SP中的一个重要因素；（4）SP为年轻人提供了一个安全的空间，让他们可以讨论自己的情感需求和健康问题。此外，还确定了影响SP实施的四个背景因素：（1）支持性的组织环境；（2）家长的支持；（3）公众意识；（4）获取障碍。明确这些有效成分和背景因素有助于巩固SP对CYP心理健康的作用，促进其更广泛的应用和影响。
