Conceptualisation of personal recovery for youth: Integrating multi-systemic perspectives and evaluating digital supports

Conceptualisation of personal recovery for youth: Integrating multi-systemic perspectives and evaluating digital supports

Personal recovery refers to the lived experience of those with mental illness overcoming challenges and living satisfying lives within the limitations of mental health symptomology. There is now a substantial body of evidence on the construct of personal recovery and the value of recovery-oriented mental health care worldwide. Despite the broad endorsement and dissemination of such practices, theories and research on personal recovery have primarily relied on the needs of adults. With growing concerns about youth mental health, this program of research aimed to conceptualise personal recovery in youth, including the multisystemic influences on youth development. Given the pervading use of digital technology by youth, the present research also sought to explore the role of digital applications in the personal recovery of young people. The first study used a pragmatic phenomenological qualitative design to analyse the narratives of youth, caregivers, and mental health professionals related to personal recovery. The findings supported elements of adult personal recovery – Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment (CHIME) and revealed two developmentally unique recovery processes for youth. The restoration of ruptured relationships and strengths and developing resilience through exploring new relationships and experiences. Building on this finding, study 2 involved a systematic review of online interventions supporting youth recovery. The third study sought to understand how youth used digital applications to support their recovery needs through semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis. The findings revealed a range of relevant digital applications and modalities. Overall, the research presents a novel, developmentally sensitive, and multi-systemic conceptual framework for youth recovery. Findings guide practitioners and researchers in facilitating recovery-oriented care for youth and their families. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

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