In the Netherlands, there’s growing attention for young people’s mental health, and rightly so: more than half of 18- to 24-year-olds have experienced mental health problems. To better understand what really helps, three scientific studies have been running since 2018 on the @ease approach.
The impact is serious. When mental struggles start at a young age, the risk of getting stuck at school, work, or in relationships is much higher. There’s also a greater risk of dropping out, and even of suicide. On top of that, mental health problems come at a high cost to society, through healthcare use and missed years of education or work.
Young people cannot find their way to help
Many young people struggle to find their way to support. The barriers are high: long waiting lists, complex referral systems, and concerns about privacy. At 18, it gets even harder, that’s when young people have to move from youth care to adult care.
@ease offers accessible support
To offer young people faster and more accessible support, @ease was founded in 2018. Young people aged 12 to 25 can walk in for a free and anonymous conversation with peers. By now, there are multiple locations across the Netherlands and a national chat service.
Three studies on the effects of @ease
But does it really help? To answer that question, three studies were launched in 2018 and 2023 by a research consortium led by Maastricht University (UM), in collaboration with other universities and mental health institutions.
- Findings from visits to @ease (2018–2023): this 5-year study looked at how young people felt before and after their conversations at @ease. This part is now complete and the results are in.
- Costs and risk groups (since 2023, ongoing): this study looks at the costs of mental health problems and which young people are at greater risk. The research is still ongoing.
- Long-term effects (since 2023, ongoing): this study follows young people after their visit to see if the improvements last after 3, 6 and 12 months. This research is still in progress.
Study 1: Young people feel better after a visit
The first study examined the direct outcomes of @ease visits. Young people completed short questionnaires after their conversations. These focused on:
- Mental complaints such as stress and depression
- Functioning at school, work and socially
- School absenteeism
- Healthcare use in the preceding months
Counselors also assessed social functioning (SOFAS) and whether suicidal thoughts were present.
The first results
The analyses (January 2018-January 2023) already showed clear improvements:
- Young people experienced less stress and felt better in their daily lives
- School absenteeism decreased by almost 30%, especially among young people who returned multiple times
- More young people found their way to further help, such as the GP or a study advisor
- The appreciation for @ease was high: young people gave their visit an average of 4.5 out of 5
What’s striking is that most young people reported serious mental health complaints during their first visit. Still, even a relatively short intervention made a difference. The full research findings were published in 2024.
Study 2: Costs and risk groups
The second study looks at the societal costs of mental health problems among young people and at the groups most at risk. Earlier research showed that youth depression costs society hundreds of millions of euros each year. School dropout and healthcare use are major contributing factors.
By calculating exactly what the situation of young people at @ease costs in terms of school absence and healthcare use, policymakers gain clearer insight into where prevention and support have the greatest impact.
What is being investigated?
Researchers calculate the average costs of school absence and healthcare use in the three months before a young person’s first visit to @ease. Then they look at which factors are linked to higher costs.
Who is more at risk?
Previous studies and initial analyses show that young people are more vulnerable if they:
- Living alone
- Having a parent with mental health issues
- Missing school more often
- Not having a job or study
By better identifying these risk groups, municipalities and healthcare institutions can invest in support in a more targeted manner.
Study 3: Long-term effects
Researchers calculate the average costs of school absence and healthcare use in the three months before a young person’s first visit to @ease. Then they look at which factors are linked to higher costs.
What do the researchers expect?
The expected outcome is that young people not only feel better right away, but continue to experience less stress, better daily functioning, and less school absenteeism months later. International examples, like headspace in Australia, show this is possible: there, the effects on mental wellbeing were still visible three months after support ended.
This research is unique in the Netherlands. Little attention has been paid to the long-term effects of low-threshold, peer-to-peer initiatives.
Internationally valuable insights
@ease isn’t alone. Around the world, similar initiatives have been launched, often inspired by headspace in Australia. There, hundreds of centres offer young people easy, walk-in support. Similar places have also been set up in countries like Ireland, Germany, France, and Canada.
What makes @ease special is the strong focus on peer-to-peer conversations: young people talk mainly with peers who know what it’s like to struggle. That makes it easier to walk in, and helps them feel understood.
The research into @ease therefore also provides valuable international insights.
Curious about the full article?
You can read the full protocol here, titled: “@ease peer-to-peer youth walk-in centres in The Netherlands: A protocol for evaluating longitudinal outcomes, follow-up results and cost-of-illness”
Do you have questions about our scientific research? Feel free to contact us; we’d be happy to tell you more.