Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41074116›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2025

Social prescriptions for advancing resilience in kids (SPARK): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Samantha Kempe, Susan Bennett, Olivia MacLeod, Nadia Mohamed, Paula Cloutier, Caitlin Muhl, Daniel Hayes, Nicholas Mitsakakis, Gary Goldfield, Nicole Racine

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07022561 (Social Prescribing for Advancing Resilience in Kids), which is not on this 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.

NCT07022561 nanot yet recruitingnot on this map

Social Prescribing for Advancing Resilience in Kids (SPARK): A Pilot Study of Social Prescribing for Children and Youth Mental Health in Canada

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of OttawaRan2025 to 2027Enrolled170ConditionsYouth Mental Health and Wellbeing, Feasibility and Acceptability of the Social Prescribing ProgramArmsSocial Prescribing
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

Samantha KempeSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
Susan BennettChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
Olivia MacLeodChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
Nadia MohamedChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
Paula CloutierChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
Caitlin MuhlFaculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Daniel HayesBehavioural Science and Health, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
Nicholas MitsakakisChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
Gary GoldfieldSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
Nicole RacineSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada. nracine2@uottawa.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChild mental health needs are rising in Canada, with over half a million young people requiring access to mental health care. Social determinants, including poverty and limited social support, contribute significantly to these difficulties. Social prescribing (SP), a non-medical intervention connecting individuals to community resources, is gaining traction in child and youth wellbeing research, though empirical evidence remains limited.

objectivesThe overarching goal of the Social Prescriptions for Advancing Resilience in Kids (SPARK) study is to establish the preliminary feasibility of implementing social prescribing for children and youth on an outpatient MH waitlist. The study objectives are to determine feasibility and evaluate effectiveness.

methodsThis study will recruit 170 children and youth between the ages of 11 and 17 on the waitlist for outpatient mental health support at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or educational control group. Youth in the intervention group will receive a social prescription connecting them to community-based activities of their choice, while those in the control group will receive an educational booklet on social connections. Caregivers will also be invited to take part in the study. Children, youth, and their caregivers in the control group will complete online questionnaires at baseline and again 12 weeks later, while those in the intervention group will complete them at baseline and 12 weeks after beginning the social prescribing activities. The questionnaires will address demographic information, youths' symptoms of anxiety and depression, overall wellbeing, emotional and behavioural difficulties, social connectedness, and protective factors. Additionally, children and youth, caregivers, and staff (i.e., clinicians, medical practitioners) will participate in qualitative interviews about their experiences with SP. DISCUSSION: The findings from this study will add important knowledge about the impact of social prescribing as an approach to support the wellbeing of children and youth experiencing mental health challenges. In addition, this study will offer valuable insights into the barriers encountered and the strategies used to facilitate effective implementation of child and youth social prescribing.

trial registrationThe study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on June 6, 2025 (NCT07022561).

Indexed as

Resilience, PsychologicalSocial SupportAdolescentChildFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleOntarioRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicChild and youth mental healthRandomized control trialSocial prescribing

Identifiers

PMID41074116
PMCPMC12512886

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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.