PhD defence Anouk Boonstra

Keywords: Youth mental health, Care accessibility, Continuity of care, Lived experience

"Timely, Transdiagnostic & Tailored to Youth The necessity and (cost-)effectiveness of accessible youth mental health interventions"

Youth mental health problems are a major public health concern and many young people who need it are not receiving any (or adequate and stable) support. This dissertation focused on both the situation through the eyes of young people, and on several solutions for improved accessibility and continuity of youth mental health support. For example, this dissertation includes the first outcome evaluation of the accessible @ease youth mental health walk-in centres for peer counselling in the Netherlands, showing significant improvements over time. It also includes the first health-economic evaluation of a transdiagnostic ecological momentary intervention (EMI) for young people who experienced childhood adversity and have low self-esteem. These interventions are examined further now and in the future by the thereto established YOUTHreach consortium to reach young people better with highly accessible, early, youth-tailored mental health support.

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