How can we provide better mental health services to youth with backgrounds as national minorities, indigenous peoples, and refugees?

About the project

How is the mental health of youth with minority backgrounds in Norway? Do they use and need digital mental health services? This can include chat services, self-help apps, or online consultations with healthcare professionals. Are young people aware of the digital services available, and are they satisfied with them?

Currently, there is little information and research on these questions.

In this project, we will research exactly this. We want to find out what needs youth with backgrounds as national minorities, indigenous peoples, and refugees have for digital health assistance, and how ung.no can best meet these needs.

• First, we will conduct surveys and interviews to learn about the experiences and needs minority youth have with mental health and the use of digital health services.
• Then, we will use our findings to recommend how ung.no can be adapted to suit minority youth.
• Finally, we will test digital services. We want to find out if minority youth are satisfied with the services and if they contribute positively to their mental health.

To get the most useful and accurate results, youth will be involved in all stages of the research process. For example, youth representatives from the different minority groups will suggest which questions we should ask in surveys and interviews. They will also help us figure out how to recruit participants for the study and how to understand the responses from minority youth.

Collaborating partners

The InvolveMENT project is a collaboration between:

• University of Stavanger, SHARE – Centre for Resilience in Healthcare, Department of Quality and Health Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences
• UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare (RKBU North), Faculty of Health Sciences
• Queen Mary University of London (UK)
• The Norwegian Directorate of Health
• Norgga Sámiid Riikkasearvi - Norwegian Sámi association
• Kvääninuoret - Kven Youth
• Finnmarkssykehuset HF, Sámi klinihkka, Samisk nasjonal kompetansetjeneste – psykisk helsevern og rus (SANKS)
• Helse Stavanger HF, Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care
• Stavanger Municipality
• Competence center for lived experience and service development (KBT)
• Self-help for Immirgants and Refugees (SEIF)