Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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Author: search.filters.author.Shepherd MSubject: search.filters.subject.Adolescent

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    A Nunavut community-directed Inuit youth mental wellness initiative: making I-SPARX fly
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-10-10) Bohr Y; Hankey J; Thomas A; Abdelmaseh M; Armour L; McCague H; Barnhardt J; Oskalns M; Garvey N; Singh Y; Danz C; Singoorie C; Qaunaq R; Oshoweetok I; Lucassen M; Merry S; Shepherd M; Bornstein MH; Ahmad F; Shulman S; Weiss J
    Inuit youth in Nunavut (NU) are resilient but face a protracted suicide crisis. The SPARX serious game and e-intervention, developed originally in New Zealand, teaches youth cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) skills to ameliorate stress and depression. Inuit youth in NU reviewed and culturally adapted SPARX and an existing wellness outcome measure for Inuit. One hundred and twenty-one youth, aged 13 to 24, across NU then tested, played, and evaluated I(nuit)-SPARX, showing improvement in several areas of wellbeing post-play. Youth completed a CBT skills survey, engaged in sharing circles to assess CBT skill retention, and shared their thoughts about the usefulness and cultural fit of I-SPARX with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ). Communication Skills, Listening Skills, and Problem Solving emerged as the most helpful learned CBT skills, and NU youth provided real-world examples of using I-SPARX skills to support their mental wellness. Several principles of IQ were exemplified and upheld in the content of the adapted SPARX tool and the process of the project as a whole. Empirically grounded, asynchronous e-tools, developed in collaboration with Inuit communities to ensure cultural specificity, may support psychological wellness in communities where mental health resources are scarce.
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    Intersex adolescents seeking help for their depression: the case study of SPARX in New Zealandd.
    (SAGE Publications on behalf of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, 2021-08) Lucassen MFG; Perry Y; Frampton C; Fleming T; Merry SN; Shepherd M; Stasiak K
    Objective: SPARX is a computerized cognitive behavioral therapy self-help program for adolescent depression that is freely available in New Zealand. At registration, users identify themselves as either male, female, intersex, or transgender. We aimed to describe the mental health of adolescent intersex users. Method: A secondary analysis of SPARX usage data over 5 years. Results: Of the 8922 adolescents users, 0.6% (n = 50) identified as intersex. Based on Patient Health Questionnaire 9 – modified for Adolescents (PHQ-A) results, 78.3% of intersex users had high levels of depression and/or self-harm and suicidal ideation. The mean PHQ-A scores for intersex users were significantly higher than for males and females (p < .001). As only three intersex users completed SPARX Level 4 or more (of the seven-level program), we were unable to meaningfully investigate any reductions in their depressive symptoms over time. Conclusions: There is a dearth of empirical data on the mental health of intersex adolescents. These results suggest that intersex adolescents seeking help from an online resource have high mental health needs compared with other young people, possibly because they defer seeking help.