Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40840438›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2025

Examining the Impact of Youth Mental Health Services Capacity Growth Trajectories and Digital Interventions on Youth Mental Health Outcomes: System Dynamics Modeling Analysis.

Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Nicholas Ho, Samantha Huntley, Sarah Piper, Paul Crosland, Adam Skinner, Catherine Vacher, Kristen Tran, Kim-Huong Nguyen, Yun Ju Christine Song and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Seyed Hossein HosseiniYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0400-5613
Nicholas HoYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9843-0866
Samantha HuntleyYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2137-5755
Sarah PiperYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3344-0382
Paul CroslandYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6445-7486
Adam SkinnerYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9823-1506
Catherine VacherYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6923-0993
Kristen TranYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3544-1696
Kim-Huong NguyenYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2592-9372
Yun Ju Christine SongYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8776-6305
Victoria LoblayYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4094-9619
Olivia IannelliYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4881-2900
Shahana FerdousiHealth Intelligence Unit, Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Westmead, NSW, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0739-4394
Sithum MunasingheHealth Intelligence Unit, Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Westmead, NSW, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3650-1889
Sujata RaoHealth Intelligence Unit, Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Westmead, NSW, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-3621-0207
Devin LamYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-9530-4868
Zoe Waterhouse-BushnellYouth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-4919-5921
Garner ClanceyLaw School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7658-1938
Ian B Hickie *Youth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8832-9895
Jo-An Occhipinti *Youth Mental Health and Technology, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, 1 King Street, Newtown, 2042, Australia, 61 93510774.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2380-1092

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Mental health (MH) issues are the leading cause of mortality for young people, highlighting the importance of timely, high-quality, and affordable care. However, recent trends show a deceleration in the growth of youth mental health (YMH) services capacity in Australia. Meanwhile, digital interventions hold significant potential to sustain and enhance YMH outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate (1) the comparative impact of different services capacity growth trajectories on YMH outcomes and (2) whether digital interventions can offset rising demand and declining workforce capacity, to offer insights into strategic resource allocation for sustained improvements. Methods: Participatory system dynamics modeling was used to investigate the impact of MH services capacity growth trajectories and digital interventions on YMH outcomes, with simulation results projected for 2025-2035. The study focused on individuals aged 15-24 years from a culturally diverse, rapidly expanding urban population in Australia. Outcomes assessed included years lived with psychological distress and disorders, MH-related emergency department presentations, and self-harm hospitalizations. Results: Among the services modeled, doubling the growth rates for specialized MH services had the greatest impact (8.4% reduction in cumulative years lived with symptomatic mental disorder). Doubling the growth rates for specialized MH service, headspace (headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation Ltd), and referrals to online services, together, could significantly enhance YMH outcomes. Compared to baseline, this strategic investment approach is projected to reduce cumulative years spent with symptomatic mental disorders, cumulative MH-related emergency department presentations, and cumulative self-harm hospitalizations by 14%, 6.4%, and 4.1%, respectively, from 2025 to 2035. Digital interventions alone produced comparable impacts to specialized services, but critically, could not prevent worsening outcomes when specialized services experienced degrowth. Combining digital interventions with expansion of specialized services yielded best outcomes with reductions of 15%, 5.1%, and 4.4% in these indicators, respectively. Conclusions: The findings emphasize digital technologies as an effective interim and long-term solution to mitigate the slow and uncertain growth in the specialized MH workforce. However, simulation results showed that achieving sustained long-term improvements necessitates concurrent investment in expanding the specialized MH workforce, as digital interventions alone cannot compensate for degradation in specialized services capacity. A strategic combined approach offers the most effective pathway to improving YMH outcomes.

Indexed as

Mental DisordersMental Health ServicesAdolescentAustraliaFemaleHumansMaleMental HealthYoung Adultmental health servicespublic health policysystem dynamicsWestern Sydneyyouth mental health

Identifiers

PMID40840438
PMCPMC12375514

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.