Instagram as a knowledge mobilization platform for youth resilience research: An exploratory study

Objectives: Social media (SoMe) is globally prevalent, but its relevance for disseminating sensitive topics, such as violence victimization and mental health among adolescents and emerging adults, remain under-researched. Youth-dominate platforms may be well-suited for resilience messaging on safety, health, and well-being, and exploratory knowledge mobilization research. Research from a common team funding source supported a secondary objective that thematically linked research could be used to impact dissemination. Methods: This experiment utilized an ABA design, with a two-week baseline, followed by SoMe posting on weeks "A" and no posting on weeks "B" from a single Instagram account. During posting weeks, image-based messages from nine open access articles, from a risk and resilience research team, were posted three times per day. Each post contained a link to the associated open-access research article. Outcome dissemination indices, collected weekly, were reads of the referenced articles on a research-based networking site, ResearchGate. Results: Instagram indices formed the basis of our manipulation check. Relative to periods of inactivity, periods of active Instagram engagement led to significant increases in the number of Instagram impressions, website clicks, and followers, and in the number of reads of the posted ResearchGate articles. Implications: As the first study to examine Instagram impact for risk and resilience research, these findings encourage further SoMe work in this area of high public health import.

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Gaining Insight into Youth Programming and the Inclusivity of Girls

Critical Social Work ◽

10.22329/csw.v20i1.5962 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shannon Vokes ◽

Erinn Barry ◽

Ciann Wilson ◽

Victoria Pulla ◽

Jora Shacter

Keyword(s):

Gender Equity ◽

Personal Development ◽

Ecological Model ◽

Physical Space ◽

Well Being ◽

Knowledge Mobilization ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Recreational Programs ◽

Gender Based ◽

Health And Well Being

Boys dominate youth recreational programs in ways that control the conversation and the physical space, which impedes the ability for girls to participate. This is distressing, given that youth recreational and social programs, for example, those focusing on personal development or on health and well-being, improve girls’ physical and mental health and serve as a protective buffer against negative health outcomes. We conducted a qualitative community-based Participatory Action Research (PAR) project in which we interviewed programmers responsible for social and recreational programs that cater to youth between the ages of 12 and 18 in a region of Southwestern Ontario, Canada. We examined factors influencing girls’ participation through the lens of a modified Bronfenbrenner Ecological Model. The findings were unpacked with a view toward gender equity, particularly focusing on girls’ health and well-being. Based on the findings, we created a knowledge mobilization gender-based toolkit, which, upon implementing, would make the benefits of recreational programming more accessible to girls.

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Establishing a Health Network of Personality Profiles for Adolescents and Emerging Adults

10.31234/osf.io/4qh96 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuzhan Hang ◽

Lydia Gabriela Speyer ◽

Liina Haring ◽

Billy Lee ◽

Uku Vainik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personality Traits ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Well Being ◽

Graph Analysis ◽

Late Adolescents ◽

Personality Profiles ◽

Neo Personality Inventory ◽

Dimensional Network ◽

Health Related ◽

Health And Well Being

Many health problems that occur later in life have their origins in behaviours and associated lifestyle habits established earlier in life. We aimed to gain new insights into the structure of health and well-being of late adolescents and emerging adults through examining a multi-dimensional network that quantitatively estimates the personality similarities (personality correlations) between sixteen different health related behaviours and outcomes. The personality correlations were based on nuance level personality traits, captured by 240 items of the EE.PIP-NEO Personality Inventory that predicted the outcomes more accurately than broader personality traits (Big Five domains and facets; N = 2,269), and analysed using Exploratory Graph Analysis. The sixteen outcomes fell into four groups based on their personality correlations: psychological distress, health awareness, emotional control and substance use. Personality correlations, quantifying the overlap among outcomes in their psychological background, can explain associations between health-related behaviours and outcomes, and psychopathological comorbidities.

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Health and Well-Being in Emerging Adults’ Same-Sex Relationships

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/2167696814535915 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 3-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

David M. Frost ◽

Ilan H. Meyer ◽

Phillip L. Hammack

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adults ◽

Well Being ◽

Same Sex ◽

Health And Well Being

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Contested meanings of mental health and well-being among university students

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/0081246317731958 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 453-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vinitha Jithoo

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

University Students ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Problems ◽

Care Providers ◽

Health And Well Being

Emerging adults are an important group not only because their opinions and knowledge will determine future attitudes but also because of the emergence of mental health problems during young adulthood. In order to provide relevant support, academics, health care providers as well as policy makers need to be more cognisant of how emerging adults make meaning of their psycho-social developmental context. The objective of the study was to explore how a cohort of 150 university students made meaning of emotional well-being and mental illness, the causes of mental health problems, the negative connotations associated with mental ill health, help-seeking behaviours, and how culture was used as a lens through which mental well-being was understood. The main findings indicate that students struggle to fully understand these concepts mainly because it is shrouded in mystery and complexity and not engaged with freely because of stigma and stereotypical attitudes, and while culture provides a lens to understand the causes and interventions, emerging adults often adopt a level of scepticism and are beginning to vacillate between tradition and modernity. Emerging adults face many barriers to accessing health care services including limited knowledge and stigma related to services, lack of confidentiality, fear of mistreatment, location of facilities, and the high cost of services. Universities and government should actively engage with research evidence to inform policies and programmes to improve the health and well-being of emerging adults.

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The Influence of COVID-19 on Stress, Substance Use, and Mental Health Among Postsecondary Students

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/21676968211014080 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216769682110140

Author(s):

Zachary R. Patterson ◽

Robert L. Gabrys ◽

Rebecca K. Prowse ◽

Alfonso B. Abizaid ◽

Kim G. C. Hellemans ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Secondary Students ◽

Well Being ◽

Post Secondary Education ◽

Education Students ◽

Post Secondary ◽

The Social ◽

The Face ◽

Health And Well Being

Emerging adults, including post-secondary education students, are disproportionately affected by the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The speed with which society moved in attempt to minimize the spread of the virus left many students with uncertainty and concern about their health, mental health, and academic futures. Considering that post-secondary students are a population at risk, it is important to determine how students respond in the face of the pandemic, and what coping mechanisms or supports will result in improved mental health outcomes. This knowledge will be helpful for post-secondary institutions to understand how COVID-19 has influenced the health and well-being of their students, and may facilitate the implementation of strategies to support their students. This narrative review explores evidence on how COVID-19 has impacted students with the overall goal to provide a set of recommendations to post-secondary institutions to help meet the evolving needs of this population.

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Feasibility of Monitoring Health and Well-being in Emerging Adults: Pilot Longitudinal Cohort Study

JMIR Formative Research ◽

10.2196/30027 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. e30027

Author(s):

Reidar P Lystad ◽

Diana Fajardo Pulido ◽

Lorna Peters ◽

Melissa Johnstone ◽

Louise A Ellis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Data Linkage ◽

Well Being ◽

Longitudinal Cohort Study ◽

Health Records ◽

Longitudinal Cohort ◽

Survey Responses ◽

Health And Well Being

Background Emerging adulthood is a distinct segment of an individual’s life course. The defining features of this transitional period include identity exploration, instability, future possibilities, self-focus, and feeling in-between, all of which are thought to affect quality of life, health, and well-being. A longitudinal cohort study with a comprehensive set of measures would be a valuable resource for improving the understanding of the multifaceted elements and unique challenges that contribute to the health and well-being of emerging adults. Objective The main aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting university graduates to establish a longitudinal cohort study to inform the understanding of emerging adulthood. Methods This pilot study was conducted among graduates at a large university. It involved collecting web-based survey data at baseline (ie, graduation) and 12 months post baseline, and linking survey responses to health records from administrative data collections. The feasibility outcome measures of interest included the recruitment rate, response rate, retention rate, data linkage opt-out rate, and availability of linked health records. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the representativeness of the sample, completeness of the survey responses, and data linkage characteristics. Results Only 2.8% of invited graduates (238/8532) agreed to participate in this pilot cohort study, of whom 59.7% (142/238) responded to the baseline survey. The retention rate between the baseline and follow-up surveys was 69.7% (99/142). The completeness of the surveys was excellent, with the proportion of answered questions in each survey domain ranging from 87.3% to 100% in both the baseline and follow-up surveys. The data linkage opt-out rate was 32.4% (77/238). Conclusions The overall recruitment rate was poor, while the completeness of survey responses among respondents ranged from good to excellent. There was reasonable acceptability for conducting data linkage of health records from administrative data collections and survey responses. This pilot study offers insights and recommendations for future research aiming to establish a longitudinal cohort study to investigate health and well-being in emerging adults. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number ACTRN12618001364268; https://tinyurl.com/teec8wh International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/16108

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Emerging Adults’ Evaluation of Their Treatment in an Outpatient Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/2167696818777339 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 432-443

Author(s):

Justin A. Arcaro ◽

Paul F. Tremblay ◽

Carolyn Summerhurst ◽

Michael Wammes ◽

Pamela Dash ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Outpatient Program ◽

Mood And Anxiety Disorders ◽

Semistructured Interviews ◽

Health And Well Being

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate emerging adults’ (EAs) perspectives of treatment from an outpatient program specializing in mood and anxiety disorders for EAs. A sample of 22 participants between the ages of 18 and 27 participated in semistructured interviews at least 19 months after the start of treatment. A thematic analysis was conducted on the transcripts of these interviews based on the procedure outlined in Braun and Clarke. A description of the analysis and themes was presented to a subset of participants to evaluate authenticity and credibility of the researchers’ interpretations. Participants reported lasting improvements in symptom reduction and functioning, which were accompanied by self-acceptance and feeling empowered to actively affect change in their life. They also viewed treatment as an investment in their mental health and well-being. These results reveal characteristics of intervention strategies valued by EAs that can contribute to long-term improvements.

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