With parents the most common source of emotional support for young people, Monash University and headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation have launched an online parenting program to equip families with the confidence they need to care for their young people's mental health.
headspace research shows four in five young people aged 12-25 would seek support from their mothers if they were experiencing a personal or emotional challenge. Young people also told headspace they would approach fathers for support in tough times.
Acknowledging the vital role parents play in their young person's mental wellbeing, Monash University and headspace have worked together to launch 'Partners in Parenting': an education tool to guide families through ways they can care for their young people's mental health.
Partners in Parenting offers ten self-directed modules to adults supporting young people, which can be completed in their own time, at their own pace. Topics covered in these modules include understanding anxiety and depression, developing healthy habits and connecting with your young person.
Professor Marie Yap from the Monash School of Psychological Sciences and the Turner institute for Brain and Mental Health said Partners in Parenting is based on decades of research about how parents and carers can best support their young person's mental health and has already benefited thousands of families across Australia.
"Youth mental health has been a global concern for years, especially due to the pandemic. It is so timely that carers of young people in Australia can now be empowered to address this concern right in their own home," Professor Yap said.
Action Lab, based at Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology, was entrusted with the digital aspect of the design, development, and deployment of the program.
Research Fellow Dr Grace Xie from Action Lab said while creating the digital modules and toolkits for Partners in Parenting, there was a strong focus on designing interactive and personalised user experiences tailored for parents' individual needs.
"The endeavour was to make mental health support easily understandable and accessible, which ensures that parents can gain easy access through different devices including their mobile phones," Dr Xie said.
"We also paid very close attention to making sure any data captured would be completely private and secure."
headspace National Clinical Advisor Deb Mountjoy said Family is an integral part of a young person's circle of care. Family members have good knowledge of the young person and are usually in the best position to support them through challenging times.
