Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital Territory
Australia’s mental health system is failing young people. Calls for accountability, strategic long-term policy planning, and regional leadership have been identified as solutions to guide mental health reform. Developing system dynamics models using a participatory approach (participatory systems mo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/11/8/386 |
| _version_ | 1797583127137222656 |
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| author | Grace Yeeun Lee Ian Bernard Hickie Yun Ju C. Song Sam Huntley Nicholas Ho Victoria Loblay Louise Freebairn Adam Skinner Paul Crosland Elizabeth Moore Natalie Johnson Stephanie Lentern Josephine Brogden Erin Barry Catherine Vacher Sebastian Rosenberg Paul Mayers Olivia Iannelli Shin Ho Park Jo-An Occhipinti |
| author_facet | Grace Yeeun Lee Ian Bernard Hickie Yun Ju C. Song Sam Huntley Nicholas Ho Victoria Loblay Louise Freebairn Adam Skinner Paul Crosland Elizabeth Moore Natalie Johnson Stephanie Lentern Josephine Brogden Erin Barry Catherine Vacher Sebastian Rosenberg Paul Mayers Olivia Iannelli Shin Ho Park Jo-An Occhipinti |
| author_sort | Grace Yeeun Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Australia’s mental health system is failing young people. Calls for accountability, strategic long-term policy planning, and regional leadership have been identified as solutions to guide mental health reform. Developing system dynamics models using a participatory approach (participatory systems modelling (PSM)) is recognized as a useful method that can support decision-making for strategic reform. This paper reports evaluation findings of a youth mental health PSM process conducted in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Baseline and follow-up mixed-methods evaluation data were collected in 2022 across diverse stakeholder groups to investigate the feasibility, value, impact, and sustainability of PSM. Although youth mental health system reform was viewed as desirable and a necessity across all stakeholder groups, shared perceptions of disabling powerless was observed regarding their ability to influence current decision-making processes to improve the youth mental health system. This suggests greater accountability is required to support systemic reform in youth mental health. PSM offers promise in improving transparency and accountability of decision-making for youth mental health, as exemplified in the ACT. However, more support and time are required to facilitate transformational change. Future research should investigate empowerment strategies to complement the implementation of findings from dynamic models developed through PSM, as well as the effectiveness of regional youth mental health policy decision-making supported by systems modelling. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:32:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-31ae19eb98eb4862b178cbc4c7aa93b6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-8954 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:32:24Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-31ae19eb98eb4862b178cbc4c7aa93b62023-11-19T03:12:27ZengMDPI AGSystems2079-89542023-07-0111838610.3390/systems11080386Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital TerritoryGrace Yeeun Lee0Ian Bernard Hickie1Yun Ju C. Song2Sam Huntley3Nicholas Ho4Victoria Loblay5Louise Freebairn6Adam Skinner7Paul Crosland8Elizabeth Moore9Natalie Johnson10Stephanie Lentern11Josephine Brogden12Erin Barry13Catherine Vacher14Sebastian Rosenberg15Paul Mayers16Olivia Iannelli17Shin Ho Park18Jo-An Occhipinti19Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaResearch School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaOffice for Mental Health and Wellbeing, ACT Health Directorate, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaOffice for Mental Health and Wellbeing, ACT Health Directorate, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaCapital Health Network (Primary Health Network), Canberra, ACT 2600, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaYouth Coalition of the ACT, Canberra, ACT 2602, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaOffice for Mental Health and Wellbeing, ACT Health Directorate, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, AustraliaAustralia’s mental health system is failing young people. Calls for accountability, strategic long-term policy planning, and regional leadership have been identified as solutions to guide mental health reform. Developing system dynamics models using a participatory approach (participatory systems modelling (PSM)) is recognized as a useful method that can support decision-making for strategic reform. This paper reports evaluation findings of a youth mental health PSM process conducted in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Baseline and follow-up mixed-methods evaluation data were collected in 2022 across diverse stakeholder groups to investigate the feasibility, value, impact, and sustainability of PSM. Although youth mental health system reform was viewed as desirable and a necessity across all stakeholder groups, shared perceptions of disabling powerless was observed regarding their ability to influence current decision-making processes to improve the youth mental health system. This suggests greater accountability is required to support systemic reform in youth mental health. PSM offers promise in improving transparency and accountability of decision-making for youth mental health, as exemplified in the ACT. However, more support and time are required to facilitate transformational change. Future research should investigate empowerment strategies to complement the implementation of findings from dynamic models developed through PSM, as well as the effectiveness of regional youth mental health policy decision-making supported by systems modelling.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/11/8/386youth mental healthhealth policymonitoring and evaluationparticipatory systems modellingsystem dynamics modellinglived experience participation |
| spellingShingle | Grace Yeeun Lee Ian Bernard Hickie Yun Ju C. Song Sam Huntley Nicholas Ho Victoria Loblay Louise Freebairn Adam Skinner Paul Crosland Elizabeth Moore Natalie Johnson Stephanie Lentern Josephine Brogden Erin Barry Catherine Vacher Sebastian Rosenberg Paul Mayers Olivia Iannelli Shin Ho Park Jo-An Occhipinti Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital Territory Systems youth mental health health policy monitoring and evaluation participatory systems modelling system dynamics modelling lived experience participation |
| title | Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital Territory |
| title_full | Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital Territory |
| title_fullStr | Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital Territory |
| title_full_unstemmed | Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital Territory |
| title_short | Towards Youth Mental Health System Reform: An Evaluation of Participatory Systems Modelling in the Australian Capital Territory |
| title_sort | towards youth mental health system reform an evaluation of participatory systems modelling in the australian capital territory |
| topic | youth mental health health policy monitoring and evaluation participatory systems modelling system dynamics modelling lived experience participation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/11/8/386 |
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