2014 ISRII 7th Scientific Meeting

This symposium will showcase findings from several projects focused on the development and evaluation of innovative technology-based services for improving the mental health of adolescents and young adults. These projects are part of collective work by the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre to explore the role of technology in young people’s lives, and to determine how these technologies can be used to improve the mental health and wellbeing of those aged 12 to 25. The Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre is an Australia-based, international research centre that unites young people with researchers, practitioners and policy makers from over 75 partner organisations across the non-profit, academic, government and corporate sectors.

The five papers presented in this symposium are based on projects that are currently in different stages of development and evaluation. One paper focuses on the development and design of a randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a mobile phone app for promoting healthy sleep/wake cycles in young males. One paper presents preliminary pilot trial data on the effectiveness of an online help seeking service designed to connect young people with the right information, tools and services at the right time. Three papers relate to the development of a comprehensive virtual clinic for university students. One paper presents the results of a systematic review of the effectiveness of peer-to-peer support in improving the mental health of adolescents and young adults, with a view to informing peer support tools in the virtual clinic. One paper presents the results of a survey of university teaching staff to assess their attitudes toward recommending online resources to students. One paper examines privacy and trust issues identified by young adults as they apply to the development of the virtual clinic.

Abstracts: 0132, 0134, 0135, 0136, 0137

A dedicated website to facilitate help-seeking for young people with mental health problems: Preliminary results from a pilot RCT
Sylvia Kauer1, Julie Grey2, Kerrie Buhagair2, Lena Sanci1,3,  1University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 2ReachOut.com by Inspire Foundation, Sydney, Australia, 3Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Recharge app: development and evaluation of a mobile phone app intervention targeting the regulation of the sleep/wake cycle in a group of young males
Kathryn McCabe1,2, Tracey Davenport1,2, Kitty Rahilly3, Derek Chambers4, Fenella Murphy4, Jane Burns2,5, Ian Hickie1,  1The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, VIC, Australia, 3ReachOut.com by Inspire Foundation, NSW, Australia, 4Inspire Ireland Foundation, Cork, Ireland, 5University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Privacy and trust issues in the development of a mental health virtual clinic for university students
Amelia Gulliver1, Kylie Bennett1, Anthony Bennett1, Julia Reynolds1, Kathleen Griffiths1, Louise Farrer1,  1Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

The Attitudes and Behaviours of University Staff Regarding Online Mental Health Interventions: Implications for the Development of a Virtual Clinic for University Students
Louise Farrer1,2, Amelia Gulliver1, Kathleen Griffiths1, Kylie Bennett1,  1Centre for Mental Health Research, ANU, Canberra, Australia, 2Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Online peer-to-peer support for adolescents and young adults with mental health problems: a systematic review
Kathina Ali1, Louise Farrer1, Amelia Gulliver1, Kathleen M Griffiths1,  1Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia