Technology has long been regarded as the key to tackling Australia's deepening mental health crisis. However, in regional and rural areas, where mental health issues are higher and professional services are lower, digital-only self-help tools can only go so far.
Researchers are recruiting young participants and their parents to test an innovative new program specifically designed for young Australians in rural and regional communities who experience anxiety.
The study is led by the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), with support from Griffith University and The Australian National University.
UniSQ Director of the Centre for Health Research and principal investigator for the study, Professor Sonja March, said anxiety was one of the most common mental health problems encountered by young Australians.
"About one in five young Australians report clinically significant symptoms of anxiety," Professor March said.
"Unfortunately, young people living in regional and rural Australia are at higher risk for poor mental health outcomes due to not being able to have access to the help that they need.
"This can be attributed to a wide range of factors, including a lack of available mental health clinicians, long waiting lists, financial and travel barriers, and mental health stigma in their communities."
Young volunteers are needed to test the free program's effectiveness, which combines an evidence-informed online program with additional therapist support.
The new digital model of care could help close the treatment gap seen in regional and rural Australia and ensure that all young people in these communities have access to evidence-based mental health interventions when they need them.
"The only digital programs for anxiety available to regional young people in Australia are entirely self-help," Professor March said.
"Although self-help interventions can be helpful, they are best suited for mild to moderate anxiety and cannot be personalised to the child's context, needs, or region.
"Our trial program will be delivered in a way that is acceptable to young people and more achievable in a regional and rural setting."
The study is an initiative of the mental health treatment platform Momentum, which helps children and adolescents learn new ways to cope with feelings of anxiety and unhappiness.
More than 1000 young Australians have accessed Momentum's free online programs since it was launched 10 months ago.
The study is recruiting 150 young people aged seven to 17 with high levels of anxiety who live in regional and rural Australia and their parents.
This new anxiety program includes seven online sessions that provide young people with strategies for overcoming their anxiety. Some participants will also be given the opportunity to receive additional therapist support.
