Young People's Pathways Research Articles

Young people's pathways to a specialist suicide prevention service and the influence of caregiver prior suicidality and mental health treatment.

Timely help-seeking and pathways to care (PtC) have been linked to positive outcomes in suicidal adolescents. While the importance of formal contacts is recognized, caregivers also play a significant role in these pathways. Caregiver's familiarity with mental health issues may influence an adolescent's PtC. This study explores the relationship between a caregiver's prior suicidality and mental health treatment on their children's pathways to entering a specialist suicide prevention treatment program. Caregivers (n = 118, 35 males and 83 females) of young individuals (12-25 years) who were admitted into an outpatient suicide prevention service, completed a self-report questionnaire describing their child's onset of symptoms, help-seeking, PtC and the caregiver's prior suicidality and mental health treatment. Parents were the source most likely to recognize the onset of suicidality, with general practitioners and psychologists the most common first contacts. Significant delays were identified for onset duration averaging 48.0 weeks, and it was observed that shorter delays in treatment were related to fewer number of contacts. Caregiver prior suicidality was associated with longer delays in treatment but had no relationship with onset duration. Caregivers and professional contacts are vital agents in improving the PtC of suicidal adolescents. Results highlight the significant delays in treatment and the added complexity of a caregiver's prior experience of suicidality to these pathways. These complexities warrant further exploration to minimize obstacles that hinder help-seeking and lengthen PtC, as this may improve interventions and outcomes for suicidal adolescents and their caregivers.

Transitioning young people into employment in the Australian construction industry: the trust-building role of project-based intermediaries

PurposeConstruction is one of Australia’s largest employers of young people and the industry is facing a major labor shortage, with young people expected to account for much of the shortfall. Surprisingly however, there been little research into the pathways for young people into construction employment. The aim of this paper is to address this gap in research by exploring whether project-based intermediaries can support the development of disadvantaged young people’s trust in the often-problematic systems which are meant to help transition them into employment in construction.Design/methodology/approachEmploying an in-depth case study approach, this research mobilizes theories of personalized and generalized trust to report the results of interviews with 15 sectoral leaders; focus groups with 12 young people working in construction; and interviews with 11 young people being transitioned into construction employment through a unique project-based intermediary developed by a major Australian construction company as part of its social procurement requirements.FindingsFindings show that project-based intermediaries can play an important trust-building role in transitioning disadvantaged young people into work in construction. They do this by bridging a young person’s strong social ties (family and friendship) and weak social ties (with government and construction industry organizations), both of which can be problematic when used in isolation to seek employment in construction. By performing a crucial bridging role between a young person’s individual self-interest in acting alone to find work and their collective interest in being part of a collaborative group, the project-based intermediary creates a new form of linking social capital, enabling social procurement policies which target young people to work while also addressing wider systemic problems in Australia’s employment systems.Originality/valueThis research addresses the lack of employment research into young people in construction and the paucity of theory in social procurement research more broadly. It takes an original approach in aligning theories related to a duality of personalized trust and generalized trust seen against the duality of individual intentionality and agency (self-focused) and shared intentionality and agency (group-focused). By doing so it provides new conceptual and practical insights into the important role that construction project-based intermediaries like the one studied here can play in providing innovative cross-sector and collaborative solutions to the world’s growing youth unemployment crisis.

“They are always focusing on the person who is doing the worst”: Exploring how crisis shapes young people's pathways in and out of supportive housing in Vancouver, Canada

Housing instability, homelessness, and mental health among young people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada, and elsewhere have increasingly been framed through a language of crisis. The declaration of overlapping housing, mental health, and addictions crises in our own setting has prompted a wide range of interventions, including the rapid expansion of supportive housing programs that include integrated housing-based substance use and mental health care. There is growing evidence demonstrating that these models are effective at stabilizing people who are experiencing protracted housing instability, mental health, and substance use related health concerns. We recount stories of three young people who have lived in supportive housing to argue that achieving the relative stability afforded by these interventions is partially contingent on maintaining a delicate balance between being in a state of “too much” or “too little” in crisis. These stories demonstrate two key findings. First, being in crisis has made these young people visible to housing, substance use, and mental health programs that may not otherwise be available to them. Secondly, entering periods of protracted or intense mental health crisis may reopen pathways into unstable housing and homelessness by activating undesirable institutional responses that conflict with young people's desire for self-determination in relation to their care. This study underscores that supportive housing should be part of a broader youth focused system of housing and care that seeks to address the needs of young people before they enter states of crisis.

Young people and post-pandemic futures: scenario planning as a radical politics of hope

PurposeIn this paper we report on the outcomes of a scenario planning project in Melbourne's (Australia) inner northern suburbs, which was undertaken in the context of an extended lockdown during Melbourne's second wave of COVID-19 infections. In this project, the researchers sought to identify the ways in which young people and youth service providers understood the challenges that the pandemic was creating for young people and the provision of youth services, and through the 5 years up to 2025.Design/methodology/approachThe project was shaped by a scenario planning methodology that produced three research informed scenarios of possible futures for young people in Melbourne's inner north in 2025. The project conducted a series of structured video interviews with young people, and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders that asked participants to reflect on the context of the pandemic, and what the future might hold in relation to young people's pathways and health and well-being, and the futures of their communities and the planet.FindingsThe scenario planning methodology revealed many concerns, uncertainties and anxieties that were shared, but which also varied between young people and stakeholders – both about the immediacy of the pandemic, and its aftermaths and intersection with future crises.Originality/valueThe scenario planning approach offers sociologies of education and youth a means to do the future-oriented, “hopeful” work that multiple crises for young people demand. Scenario planning is an “affirmative” exercise in hope by which sociologies can “stay with the trouble” that we find ourselves in, and that the pandemic has amplified.

Following the 'hype': The role of leisure practices during 'homeland' visits in transnational youth's way of relating to Ghana.

Drawing on 17 months of ethnographic fieldwork in the Netherlands and Ghana, this paper combines 'return' mobilities literature and youth studies to analyse the role of leisure practices during 'homeland' visits in transnational youth's way of relating to Ghana when they are entering into adulthood. Using the notion of mobility trajectories, the paper shows that leisure practices facilitate young people's ability to establish and renew intimate transnational relationships with diasporic friends, and Ghana-based same-generation relatives and romantic partners. Differing from earlier stays in Ghana, young people expressed their emerging sense of independence by exploring alternative sides of the country with these peers, based on common interests and belonging to the same life-cycle cohort. The findings add complexity to the notion of the 'homeland' as a monolithic place of reconnecting with family and roots by drawing attention to the intersection between young people's pathways to adulthood and transnational mobility.

Long-Term Outcomes for Young People With Substance Use Problems in Outpatient Treatment: Gender-Specific Patterns.

This study presents the results of a longitudinal research project focusing on long-term outcomes among young people after initiation of outpatient treatment for substance use problems (SUP) in Sweden. Young people are defined with the age group 13–25 years. A clinical sample of 451 young people (29% girls, median age 17 years) completed a structured interview at baseline and was followed using official records one, two, and 3 years after initiation of treatment. Gender-specific patterns at intake were described and bivariate associations and logistic regressions were calculated to analyse the links between risk factors at treatment start and indications of substance use problems 3 years later. Significantly more boys than girls displayed indications of continued SUP at 3-year follow-up. More specifically, 49% of the boys vs. 35% of the girls were identified through records as still having problems with substance use. Predictive risk factors also displayed gender-specific patterns. Primary drug use frequency and age at intake predicted indications of SUP among boys but not among girls. Placement in foster care/residential homes, depression, and early drug debut had significant predictive value regarding indications of SUP among females but not among males. Girls also displayed a greater psychosocial burden at treatment start, but a more favorable treatment outcome at follow-up. Youths with a heavy risk load at treatment start (i.e., over six risk factors) did not display a greater risk of SUP at 3-year follow-up, although our results suggest that this subgroup has indications of continued problems with mental health. Consequently, future studies should further explore gender-specific treatment pathways for young people with substance use problems. Since women and girls seem to have different risk factors, co-occurring psychiatric problems and more experiences of trauma compared to men, they might need multidimensional and more comprehensive treatment interventions that run over a longer period of time.

Turning points in the educational pathways of young people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Sweden

ABSTRACT There is considerable research evidence demonstrating the risk of adverse educational and other life outcomes for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but little insight into the actual life encounters and experiences that shape their educational pathways. The paper examines critical turning points in the educational pathways of young people with an ADHD disability in Sweden and the factors influencing these turning points. It draws on the life-course perspective, using its concepts of turning point and trajectory. The included interview, observational and documentary data come from longitudinal ethnographic case studies of young women and men (between 18 and 31 years) with a diagnosis of ADHD. Four case examples are presented that typify the findings. They reveal the complex ways in which family and peer relationships, institutional environments, individual agency, and timing of life events have shaped the negative and positive turning points in the participants’ educational trajectories. The present findings question the continuing dominant deficit and impairment focus in current research, which assumes homogeneity of experiences, opportunities and outcomes for young people with ADHD, while failing to acknowledge the very individualised nature of these pathways.

WS02.4 Developing an enhanced transition pathway for young people with additional needs at the Manchester Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre (MACFC)

WS02.4 Developing an enhanced transition pathway for young people with additional needs at the Manchester Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre (MACFC)

Supporting young people from care to adulthood: International practice

AbstractThis paper explores practice examples relating to young people's transitions from care to adulthood. It discusses examples drawn from young people's pathways to adulthood, leaving care law and policy and participation. The paper concludes with a discussion of the research evidence on promoting the resilience of young people from care to adulthood, by proposing a framework for evaluating the impact of practice. It is suggested that practice should be interrogated in respect of the contribution made to stability and continuity, educational achievement, involving young people, preparation and support into adulthood, and health and well‐being.

P468 Personalising transition pathways for young people moving from paediatric to adult cystic fibrosis services

P468 Personalising transition pathways for young people moving from paediatric to adult cystic fibrosis services

An introduction to the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY)

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) is a large, nationally representative study that follows youth cohorts for ten years at a time as they transition from school into further study, work and other destinations. With more than 20 years of unit record data, LSAY provides researchers with information for six cohorts of Australian youth, offering insight into the pathways of young people across multiple generations. This well-established study programme provides rich information across areas of school and post-school education, employment, household characteristics and key demographics. LSAY data sets are provided free of charge and supported by a dedicated website containing user guides, technical papers and interactive online summary data tools. This study profile introduces readers to LSAY by providing a brief history of its origin and establishment, before examining its design, data collection methods and survey outputs.

Why one size fits all approach to transition in Disability Employment Services hinders employability of young people with physical and neurological disabilities in Australia

The education-to-work pathways for young people with disabilities are becoming more diverse and lengthier in our post-industrial economy. Furthermore, it is recognized that a multitude of barriers still remain in securing employment at the end of these pathways. In this paper, we focus on Australia’s Disability Employment Services (DES) to understand how views of transition in DES policy may be influencing program rules in supporting secondary and tertiary students with physical and/or neurological disabilities in their employability and employment. We do this through critical policy analysis of DES and in-depth Interpretive accounts from service providers and advocacy organizations.

Examining the pathways for young people with drug and alcohol dependence: a mixed-method design to examine the role of a treatment programme

IntroductionYoung people with drug and alcohol problems are likely to have poorer health and other psychosocial outcomes than other young people. Residential treatment programmes have been shown to lead to...

Taking the next step: class, resources and educational choice across the generations

Most young people in the UK now stay on in education or training when they finish school. Numbers will continue to increase following the implementation of raising the participation age. Despite an upward trend in further education participation, young people's pathways continue to be shaped by class and gender. This paper explores the choices and decisions made by young people in their final year of compulsory schooling and describes how these class and gender inequalities are reproduced. We also spoke to parents about their own trajectories and their involvement in guiding their children's next steps. Our concern is with young people in ‘the middle’: not most at risk of social exclusion, but certainly not the most privileged. The decisions at this key transitional point are socially embedded. Processes of class reproduction and class mobility are dependent upon both structural context and access to advantageous resources. The opportunity structures for our participants were very different for the two generations. We note the wider role that social resources play at this moment, and the classed differences between the children of parents who had experienced some upward mobility and those who had remained in working-class positions.

Formerly NEET Young People's Pathways to Work: A Case-Study Approach

The recession in the United Kingdom has had a disproportionate effect on young people's employment opportunities, rendering many of them, especially those with low-level qualifications, ensnared in insecure, low-paid work. Findings from two multinational private sector company case studies, incorporating the perspectives of management staff, young people working within them, career support service practitioners and Jobcentre Plus managers, reveal that many young people want to work, but have difficulty in finding and retaining paid employment. Previously NEET (not in employment, education or training) young people, especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, tend to access work via informal pathways and obtain knowledge about the workplace via informal means, rendering them less likely to gain and retain secure, well-paid employment. Private sector employers, career guidance and support practices are progressively moving towards more formal routes of gaining and retaining staff. Integrated, holistic systems that support both the young person and employer are required to help previously NEET young people secure relevant job opportunities.

The importance of social relationships for young people from a public care background

The purpose of this article is to show that social relationships and participation in communities are of central importance to promoting positive educational pathways for young people from a public care background. The article will explore what facilitates and hinders young people's educational pathways. In addition to a general description of facilitators and barriers, this article focuses primarily on the importance of social relationships. This is done with reference to an EU research project called Young people from a public care background: Pathways to education in Europe. This article will show that young people's age at entry to care, pre-care experiences and in-care experiences influence their educational pathways. The article argues for the importance of professionals to be proactive in helping young people access and engage in social communities.

Sexual and reproductive health needs of young people: Matching needs with systems

Access to services is a central concern surrounding the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of young people. A more holistic (so-called “positive”) approach toward SRHR is needed, as is provision of services that tackle sexual and gender-based violence, sexual diversity, discrimination, relationship issues, and fears and concerns about sex and sexuality. Despite efforts to provide youth-friendly services, the uptake of services by young people is very low. What must be taken into account are young people's pathways to seeking services; and the specific barriers they face before getting to the services, while receiving services, and after leaving the service delivery sites. Attention to the perceptions and needs of young people is essential, along with development of policies, services, and programs that address those needs, particularly the youth-friendly approach to service delivery.

Continuing educational participation among children in care in five countries: some issues of social class

Young people who have spent all or part of their childhoods in public care are at particular risk of social exclusion as adults and yet the pathway out of exclusion identified by policy-makers at both European and national levels, namely, education, is very difficult to access. Using data from a five-country study of the post-compulsory educational pathways of young people in public care, this paper examines the rates of participation of young people in further and higher education and considers what might account for the gap, looking at two factors: the impact of background social class on educational support and the educational intentions and practices of the care system. The paper concludes by considering the policy context and some possible tensions between policy aims and young people’s contexts and experiences.

Life during wartime: Sexuality, recruitment and reality television

In 2010, Defence Force Recruiting (DFR) Navy Marketing entered into a media sponsorship package with the Australian version of the reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD): Footage of the day aired on national television on SYTYCD and weekly ‘dancer bootcamp’ sessions training the dancers in Navy values featured on a dedicated and branded Navy section of the official SYTYCD website. This article analyses the Navy’s SYTYCD ‘integration opportunities’ to consider the role of reality television in the redefinition of the defence forces as a training and vocational pathway for young people. Underpinning such considerations is the conceptualization of the work of reality television through the prism of public and popular pedagogies. Taking sexuality as a focal point, the article will reflect on efforts to lift recruitment through an emphasis on the incorporation of diversity. Reading the work of Jasbir Puar against the Australian ‘archive’ of integration opportunities, this article contributes to queer critiques of homonormative and homonationalist tendencies in contemporary politics.

‘From School to Adulthood’? Young People's Pathways Through Schooling in Urban Ethiopia

This article presents a case study of a rapidly evolving urban community in Southern Ethiopia drawing on survey and qualitative data from Young Lives, a long-term international study of two cohorts of children growing up in poverty (born 1994–1995 and 2000–2001). It uses this to set visible changes in aspirations and experiences of schooling over time in their political and economic context. The article illustrates the value of mixed-methods approaches within international development research by juxtaposing individual and household level data, both survey and qualitative, with data collected through school- and community-based research. This enables analysis of processes of power and social change taking place in contemporary Ethiopia and reflected in changing attitudes towards education and employment. Finally, the chapter highlights the challenges for the Ethiopian education system in meeting children's aspirations, in the context of rapidly declining economic opportunities after leaving school.