What is prevalent in youth mental health from experiences of frontline workers in Ireland
Authors
Boland, Stephen
Issue Date
2023-03
Degree
BA in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Abstract
Youth experience a multitude of struggles in Ireland, these struggles differing from age groups but there is a vast literature on the multitude of areas that children and adolescents are affected by. This Qualitative study aimed to find out what these struggles are considering the pressures on the Mental Health System. It did this by interviewing 7 volunteers at ChildLine in interviews ranging from 7 to 45 minutes, Childline was chosen due to the lack of research on helplines role in supporting youth in Ireland. There were three research questions; 1) What are the factors negatively influencing children’s Mental Health? 2) What are the factors negatively influencing adolescent Mental Health? 3) How influential is covid 19 in youth psyche post lockdowns? Interviews found 4 themes comprising of (1) Struggles with Mental Health, (2) Relationships, (3) Abuse and (4) Services. Implications of research are explored in the discussion.