Introduction to the Special Issue: Empirically-based Interventions for Emerging Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions.

Abstract

Introduction to the Special Issue... Young people in late adolescence and early adulthood have higher rates of serious mental health conditions (SMHCs) than any other age cohort in the U.S. population, yet they are also the age group least likely to engage in services. Research evidence developed over the past decade and a half has amply documented the poor outcomes and difficult life trajectories experienced by older adolescents and young adults with SMHCs; however, only recently has attention been turned to developing interventions that respond to their unique needs and preferences. This special issue of the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research highlights new research that contributes to knowledge about interventions and programs that are successful in improving outcomes for emerging adults, older adolescents and young adults between the ages of about 17 and 25, who experience serious mental health conditions. The papers that comprise this special issue describe research that is grounded in what can be described as a “positive developmental” approach to working with emerging adults with SMHCs. The lead article1 for the issue describes this positive developmental approach in terms of a set of core features that are shared across a number of interventions and programs that have empirical evidence of effectiveness for the population. The article points out that, despite the apparent success and growing popularity of interventions and programs that incorporate these shared features, there has not been any clear theoretical description of why or how interventions built around the features should “work” to produce desired outcomes. The article draws on existing research and a blend of theories, including theories of positive development, self-determination, ecological systems and social capital, to propose a general theory of change for positive developmental approaches to improving outcomes for emerging adults with SMHCs. The paper argues that a clearer theoretical specification can contribute to the creation of efficient strategies for building the research base and for training providers to work more effectively with the population. The subsequent papers included in this special issue reflect the diversity of strategies that are being used to develop and evaluate interventions that include features of the positive developmental approach and that are designed specifically to improve outcomes for emerging adults with SMHCs. Several of the papers focus on efforts to adapt interventions that have evidence of success with other populations,2-4 while another paper focuses on an intervention originally developed specifically for emerging adults with SMHCs.5 An additional paper describes research on a culturally grounded intervention approach focused on supporting positive Introduction to the Special Issue: Empirically-based Interventions for Emerging Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions