Who is @ease? Visitors’ characteristics and working method of professionally supported peer-to-peer youth walk-in centers,anonymous and free of charge

This study, published in Early Intervention in Psychiatry (March 2022), explored the characteristics, needs, and experiences of young people who visited an @ease location. It’s the first scientific profile study of the @ease approach in the Netherlands.

Key data

• Publication: March 27, 2022
• Authors: Sophie M.J. Leijdesdorff, Stefanie Rosema, Rianne M.C. Klaassen, Arne Popma, Thérèse van Amelsvoort
• Institutions: Maastricht University, Levvel Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC
• Journal: Early Intervention in Psychiatry (Wiley)
• Research period: January 2018 – July 2020

Summary

Background: Most mental health issues begin before the age of 25, but young people often don’t receive help until much later. @ease was created as a free walk-in centre where young people aged 12 to 25 can talk confidentially with trained peers (peer counsellors), without a referral. Professional support is always available in the background.

Goal: To map the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of @ease visitors and how they experience the support.

Method

• 291 young people completed an anonymous questionnaire after their first visit
• Peer counselors recorded additional data on, among other things, functioning and suicidality

Results

• Age & Gender: Average age: 21 years. 65% female.
• Education: 74% attended school or other education; 52% university, 20% higher professional education, 19% secondary education.
• Living situation: 30% lived with their parents, 29% with friends or a partner, and 25% lived alone. One young person was homeless.
• Mental complaints:
  • 92% scored above the clinical cutoff on CORE-10 (significant psychological distress)
  • 75% experienced moderate to severe anxiety or depression (EQ-5D-5L)
  • 28% had suicidal thoughts, 12% had concrete plans
  • 45% had missed school in the past 3 months (average 7.6 days)
  • 28.7% had contact with mental health care or another healthcare provider in the past 3 months
• Reason for visit:
  • 75% wanted to talk about feelings
  • 22% wanted to talk about relationships or school
  • 27% was looking for advice
  • 19% was looking for practical help
  • 68% came on their own initiative
  • 32% were encouraged by someone close to them, such as parents, friends or a teacher
• Diversity: 45% were born outside the Netherlands. In the international student city of Maastricht, that figure was 53%.
• Satisfaction:
  • Average 4.4 out of 5 for the conversation
  • 4.7 out of 5 for waiting time
• Effect:
  • 13.9% contacted the GP after the conversation
  • 16.7% was looking for a psychologist
  • 32.8% chose a different next step, such as returning to @ease or contacting a student psychologist or mentor
  • 36.6% indicated that one conversation was sufficient

Conclusion

@ease reaches young people with serious concerns who often aren’t yet visible to regular care services. Our peer-to-peer approach is well appreciated and makes it easier to take that first step. Research confirms that an organisation like @ease is both needed and feasible in the Netherlands.

Want to know more? Read this summary in plain language.
Want to know everything? Read or download the full publication below. The study was published in 2022 in Early Intervention in Psychiatry.