Journal of community psychology最新文献

Refugee youth across the world cope with the complexity of fulfilling developmental tasks and cultural adaptation requirements while struggling with different stressors and problems. This situation has been pointed out in scientific studies that refugee youth are vulnerable in terms of mental health. However, refugees may differ in the severity of their mental health problems due to certain personal or interpersonal factors. To examine these factors, we linked mental health to psychological stress in a sample of Turkish and refugee youth. We discussed the potential roles of daily material stress, well-being, perceived social support and resilience among Turkish and refugee youth. 552 Turkish host youth and 500 refugee youth participated in the study. Questionnaires were prepared for Turkish and bilingual refugees, and Turkish youth participated in the study face-to-face. The findings revealed that the perception of well-being may have different meanings for refugees and Turkish youth: while refugees associate well-being with basic needs like nutrition and inclusion in education, Turkish youth often see systemic challenges in education as obstacles to well-being, which increases their stress levels. The study points to factors that need to be considered in explaining and protecting the mental health of refugees and Turkish youth involved in the Turkish education system.

The Amplify and Advocate programme was designed to implement youth-led advocacy campaigns across Ireland, addressing gaps in early intervention, service accessibility and youth participation in mental health policy. Grounded in participatory, rights-based approaches, the project aimed to empower young people to influence mental health services and policies. Using the Lundy Model of Participation, World Café methodology, and COM-B and APEASE frameworks, the programme delivered co-designed advocacy training and supported young people in developing and implementing community-based campaigns. Participants engaged in local needs assessments, action planning, stakeholder engagement and policy advocacy. Eleven youth-led advocacy campaigns were launched, focusing on early intervention, equitable access, community collaboration, service integration, increased funding and amplifying youth voice. Evaluations indicated improved advocacy skills, increased engagement in policy discussions, and strengthened partnerships with service providers and policymakers. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of participatory, youth-led advocacy in shaping mental health services and influencing policy. The project highlights the importance of structured advocacy training, stakeholder collaboration and sustainability planning to maintain long-term impact. Recommendations focus on integrating youth-led advocacy within policy frameworks and ensuring ongoing investment in participatory mental health initiatives.

This study examined associations between COVID-19 stress and the utilization of engaged and disengaged coping responses among diverse Black youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the role of mentor social-emotional support was tested as a moderator of these associations. Participants were 1232 youth ages 11 to 18 year old from the United States who identified as Black/African American. Analyses indicated that COVID-19 stress was positively associated with both engaged and disengaged coping. Results also showed a significant interaction between COVID-19 stress and mentor social-emotional support in the prediction of engaged coping, such that COVID-19 stress positively predicted engaged coping more pronouncedly at lower levels of mentor support than at higher levels of mentor support. Similarly, there was also a significant interaction between COVID-19 stress and mentor social-emotional support in predicting disengaged coping, such that at low levels of mentor support, COVID-19 stress was marginally associated with disengaged coping. At high levels of mentor support, COVID-19 stress was no longer significantly associated with disengaged coping. The current study highlights that the social-emotional support of mentors can attend to the psychosocial strengths of Black youth even in the face of concurrent, ongoing stressors.

Risky Kids is an Australian community-based program that seeks to build resilience in children and adolescents by teaching ‘risk intelligence’ through parkour, ninja, and free-running skills, underpinned by psychological approaches. The aim of this study was to explore children's and parents’ experiences of the Risky Kids program. We interviewed 18 children aged 6–13 years and held three focus groups with 15 parents and caregivers across three sites (two metropolitan and one regional). Guided by phenomenological design, template analysis was used to generate codes, categories and themes. We identified four overarching themes: (1) Learning to Navigate Risk; (2) Risky Kids is Different; (3) Coaches Facilitating Growth and Change; and (4) Stronger Minds and Bodies. Findings suggest that a facilitated risky play program can offer a supportive, safe space for children to develop confidence and resilience, and may particularly benefit children who prefer non-competitive group activities that nurture individual strengths and accommodate all abilities. Families reported that the program offered valuable opportunities to enhance children's mental wellbeing, including social, emotional and behavioural regulation. Large-scale quantitative evidence is required to examine children's outcomes—both physical and psychological, with a focus on resilience—including investigation of mechanisms of change.