Webinar: Understanding and addressing youth mental distress in Aotearoa New Zealand

Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures research highlights the systemic pressures driving youth mental distress and the evidence-based actions needed for change.

Join us for a webinar on Thursday13 November at 12.30pm to discuss the findings of two new reports and their implications for Aotearoa New Zealand’s youth mental health policy.

Over half an hour, the lead authors of each report, Dr Jessica Stubbing and Dr Madeline Hayward will discuss with Dr Seungyeon Kim, Koi Tū youth mental health fellow, the findings of both reports and what they mean for policy and action. Followed by a 10 min Q&A.

Dr Kim will share the next steps for Koi Tū’s upcoming research on the intersection between mental wellbeing, digital environments, and social connection. 

Context

Young people in New Zealand are reporting high and rapidly rising rates of mental distress. Turning the tide requires an understanding of the factors contributing to youth mental distress and the most effective ways of addressing these.  

Two new reports from Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures show that while social media plays a role, it is systemic pressures such as poverty, inequality, family stress and school environments that are driving declining wellbeing.

The first report, Pathways to Wellbeing: A Youth-Led Exploration of Mental Health in Aotearoa New Zealand, captures the voices of 176 young people across Auckland and Northland, who shared what supports, and undermines, their wellbeing.

The second, Addressing Youth Mental Distress in Aotearoa New Zealand, reviews international and local evidence to identify six key areas for action, from building resilience and belonging to improving access to services

There are meaningful actions we can take to effectively prevent and mitigate youth mental distress, but there are no quick fixes. Evidence-based, long-term strategies are needed and youth rangatahi voices must be embedded in solutions.

Speakers

Dr Jessica Stubbing is a fellow at Koi Tū. Her work centres on improving the understanding of and response to youth mental-health challenges in clinical practice and policy through collaborative and participatory research.

Jess is a clinical psychologist who completed her doctorate at the University of Auckland. She has researched youth mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviour as a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Living, and research fellow at Koi Tū. She now works as an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and as a child and adolescent psychologist at the Cambridge Health Alliance, both in the USA.

Dr Madeline Hayward is a Koi Tū fellow who is passionate about supporting the well-being of young people in Aotearoa. Her work focuses on identifying evidence-based approaches to enhancing youth mental health.

Madeline completed her PhD at Auckland University of Technology, where she examined how the police respond to people experiencing mental distress. She holds a BA(Hons) in Psychology from the University of Otago.

Dr Seungyeon Kim is a Koi Tū fellowspecialising in youth mental health. Her work involves understanding how to support young people in Aotearoa New Zealand to flourish and bridging youth and community perspectives into evidence, policy, and practice.

Seungyeon completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Sydney; her research background is in understanding the relationship between mental health and technology use, and more broadly, behavioural addiction

Note: The webinar will be recorded.