In this mixed-methods study, published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development in May 2025, researchers evaluated an @ease outreach program in Amsterdam, Maastricht, and Heerlen.
Key data
- Publication: May 13, 2025
- Authors: C.M.W. Crombach, S.E.R. Janssen, M. Daemen, R.M.C. Klaassen, T. van Amelsvoort, S.M.J. Leijdesdorff
- Institutions: Maastricht University, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Levvel Amsterdam
- Journal: Child Psychiatry & Human Development
Summary
Background: Young people with mental health challenges often miss out on the right care, or receive it too late. Barriers they face include stigma, feelings of shame, lack of information, the pressure to cope on their own, financial obstacles, and long waiting lists. Protective factors are social support, positive earlier experiences with care, and services that are easy to access.
Aim: To explore the barriers and supportive factors young people encounter when seeking mental health help, and to understand how an @ease outreach program can help connect with subgroups that are typically overlooked in traditional care.
Method
- Design: Mixed methods, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews
- Setting: Pilot-outreachprogramma in Amsterdam, Maastricht en Heerlen
- Participants: 66 young people (14–29 years), approached in the neighborhood by trained peers and social workers
- Measurements:
- Demographics, functioning, complaints, truancy, health care use
- CORE-10 (psychological distress)
- Peer assessment of suicidality
- Qualitative: 12 interviews about attitudes, previous care experiences and help-seeking behavior
Results
- Vulnerability
- 90.2% scored above the clinical cut-off value of the CORE-10 (M = 17.7; SD = 6.2)
- 13.8% reported suicidal thoughts, 5.2% concrete plans
- 36.1% reported truancy in the last three months
- Main themes
- Beliefs about self and others – shame, fear of judgment, masculine role patterns
- Accessibility of care – lack of knowledge, costs, (expected) waiting lists
- Previous experiences – negative experiences discourage, positive experiences encourage care
- Social network – parents (especially mothers) often encourage; peers offer easily accessible support
- Recommendations for young people – proactive contact, open access, peer support, reliability and continuity
- Target group reached:
More boys, young people with lower educational levels, and more young people born in the Netherlands, compared to the regular @ease population.
Conclusion
The outreach program reached young people who are typically underrepresented in mainstream services, such as boys and those with lower educational levels. The authors conclude that outreach and peer-based approaches are effective in lowering barriers and advocate for their structural integration into healthcare provision.
Want to know more? Read this
summary
in plain language.
Want to know everything? Read or download the full paper below. The study was published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development.