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An Examination of the Community Participation Interests of Young Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses

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Abstract

Participation in various aspects of community life (e.g., education, employment) plays a critical role in fostering young adult development and health. To support behavioral health services in addressing a broader array of meaningful community participation areas, the current study examined the participation interests of young adults with serious mental illnesses via a literature review and focus groups interviews. Literature review results revealed a range of community participation areas of interest to these individuals, including employment, education, religion and spirituality, social networking (e.g., using social media), volunteering activities, socializing, and civic and artistic participation (e.g., attending a political event, playing music). Focus group participants named many of these same areas, but also mentioned unique areas of participation that have not been the focus of previous research (i.e., playing games, sports, exploration of other communities (e.g., traveling), hanging out, and nature-based participation). Implications for future research and behavioral health practice are discussed.

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Funding

The content of this paper was developed with assistance from grant K08MH116101 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA

    Elizabeth C. Thomas PhD, Gretchen Snethen PhD, John Suarez MA & Mark S. Salzer PhD

  2. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Public Health, Temple University, 1700 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA, 19121, USA

    Elizabeth C. Thomas PhD

  3. College of Education, Pennsylvania State University University Park, State College, PA, USA

    Amber O’Shea PhD

  4. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Irene Hurford MD

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  1. Elizabeth C. Thomas PhD
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  2. Gretchen Snethen PhD
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Correspondence to Elizabeth C. Thomas PhD.

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Thomas, E.C., Snethen, G., O’Shea, A. et al. An Examination of the Community Participation Interests of Young Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses. J Behav Health Serv Res 47, 526–543 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-019-09678-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-019-09678-0

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