Gatekeeper training for youth workers: Impact on their help-seeking and referral skills
by Tania Cartmill, Frank Deane and Coralie Wilson
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.1, 2009, pp.5-12.
Summary: Adults who act as gatekeepers for young people may have the same barriers to help-seeking for mental health issues as young people. This study investigated the personal help-seeking practices of 47 Australian youth workers prior to and after a training workshop on youth mental health issues. Pre-post workshop evaluation revealed some increases in behaviour, intentions and problemsolving capacity but no changes in belief-based barriers, intentions to seek help for suicidal thoughts, or referral skills. The relationships between help-seeking variables and referral skills were explored to investigate the impact that personal help-seeking may have on professional practice.
Young people's experiences of mental health care: Implications for the headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation
by Anjalee Cohen, Sharon Medlow, Norm Kelk, Ian Hickie and Bradley Whitwell
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.1, 2009, pp.13-20.
Summary: Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted to explore young people's experiences of mental health care in Australia with the aim of informing the headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The interviews revealed that significant numbers of respondents had been aware of their mental health problems for several years before seeking help and that barriers to help-seeking included a range of social, cultural and demographic factors. Additionally, perceptions of experience of care centred upon the interpersonal aspects of young people's relationships with mental health care providers. These finding are discussed in relation to the shaping of the headspace initiative.
Complex solutions for complex needs: Towards holistic and collaborative practice
by Sally Beadle
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.1, 2009, pp.21-28.
Summary: While the need for holistic health and social service responses is increasingly being articulated in Australia, the discussion is not always matched by improvements in service delivery. This project looked at one service setting where youth workers were encouraged to take a holistic approach to their clients' often-complex needs. Interviews with youth workers revealed five key elements of their approach, and also the challenges and organisational barriers that workers often confront when attempting to collaborate with other services. The paper concludes with several recommendations for informing practice and policy with the aim of developing sustainable models of service collaboration.
Aggression management training for youth in behaviour schools: A quasi-experimental study
by Anna Wheatley, Rachael Murrihy, Jacobine van Kessel, Viviana Wuthrich,
Louise Rémond, Rebekka Tuqiri, Mark Dadds and Antony Kidman
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.1, 2009, pp.29-36.
Summary: A 16-week, bi-weekly, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based aggression management training course was conducted with a limited sample of behavioural school students in New South Wales. Attendance, withdrawal and suspension rates over the training period were compared to those of a control period. Parent and teacher feedback, assessed at pre- and post-training, delivered preliminary information on disruptive behaviours and peer relations. Results revealed mixed findings with some improvements in disruptive behaviours, suspensions and withdrawals over the training period. Further research is needed to replicate these findings with a larger group of students.
Researching youth political participation in Australia: Arguments for an expanded focus
by Ian Fyfe
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.1, 2009, pp.37-45.
Summary: The distinct political lives and lifestyles of young people provide a rich arena for social research. This paper traces the origins of contemporary definitions of political participation, which are often at odds with the real experiences and aspirations of young citizens. Despite a growing body of empirical evidence in this field, researchers are still challenged to represent the unique contribution young people make to political life. This paper suggests that expanding the research focus of the study of youth political participation in Australia would offer scope for generating new knowledge and meaning.
The changing context of Australian youth and its implications for social inclusion (reprint)
by Johanna Wyn
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.1, 2009, pp.46-50.
Summary: Efforts to monitor and improve young people's school-to-work transitions have not generated a discernable change in patterns of social inclusion among young people. Educational approaches that promote social inclusion need to take account of the changing social and economic realities with which all young Australians engage, and address important aspects of young people's lives such as identity and wellbeing. Despite attempts to respond to the changes in young people's learning needs, there is a disjuncture between educational policies that continue to frame education within an industrial model and the requirements that young people themselves have for the capacity to be good navigators through new economies, to live well, and to engage with complexity and diversity.
It's all about 'I': Gen Ys and neoliberal discourse in 'new times'
by Nola Alloway and Leanne Dalley-Trim
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.1, 2009, pp.51-56.