A Web-Based Program on Youth Mental Health for Parents

描述(申请人提供)：青少年的情绪问题是一个普遍和严重的健康问题。研究表明，青春期的抑郁症正在增加，而且可能在生命的早期就开始了。旨在为父母提供必要的信息和技能的干预措施，在发现情绪问题时识别和干预具有很大的希望。个人和卫生组织已经开始为患有疾病的家庭动员和分享信息 通过万维网帮助患有精神障碍的儿童。尽管取得了这一进展，但目前大多数针对青少年抑郁或焦虑的网站在这方面的努力还不够。 这个项目的目的是开发和测试一个针对父母的、旨在预防青少年心理健康问题的创新的基于网络的多媒体程序。该计划将 结合有趣的音频和视频部分，并提供科学合理的信息，供不同教育背景的父母访问。 在第一阶段，将制定该计划的最终结构和内容，并将与家长的重点小组一起测试原型。将采访工作现场和管理的行为健康组织的样本，以评估该计划的需求和可行性。在第二阶段，该计划将经过严格的实地测试、修订和营销准备。 拟议的商业应用：青少年情绪问题，如抑郁和焦虑，可能会给在职父母、他们的雇主和他们管理的护理提供者带来相当大的损失。随着行为和心理健康治疗成本的上升，企业及其管理的护理组织正在寻找有效的技术来预防和治疗这些疾病。尽管存在解决青少年抑郁和焦虑问题的基于网络的方案，但它们通常要么是支持团体网站，要么是基于静态事实的文本网站。为解决情绪问题的父母提供互动的多媒体程序是非常必要的。这样的项目应该对希望为其工作父母提供项目的公司具有实质性的吸引力，这些项目可以减少与应对有情绪问题的孩子相关的压力，从而提高生产率。管理型护理组织也应该对一个有助于降低青少年心理健康治疗成本的计划感兴趣。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Emotional problems in youth are a common and serious health concern. Research indicates that depression in adolescence is increasing and may be starting earlier in life. Interventions designed to give parents the information and skills necessary to recognize and intervene when emotional problems are detected hold great promise. Individuals and health organizations have begun to mobilize and share information for families with children who suffer from mental disorders via the world-wide-web. Despite this progress, most of the websites currently addressing adolescent depression or anxiety fall short in this effort. The purpose of this project is to develop and test an innovative web-based multimedia program aimed at parents and designed to prevent mental health problems in youth. The program will incorporate interesting audio and visual segments and provide scientifically sound information that is accessible to parents from varying educational backgrounds. In Phase I, the final structure and content of the program will be developed and a prototype will be tested with focus groups of parents. A sample of worksite and managed behavioral health organizations will be interviewed to assess the demand for and feasibility of the program. In Phase II, the program will be rigorously field-tested, revised, and prepared for marketing. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Adolescent emotional problems such as depression and anxiety can take a considerable toll on working parents, their employers, and their managed care providers. As the cost of behavioral and mental health treatment rises, corporations and their managed care organizations are seeking effective techniques for the prevention and treatment of these disorders. Although web-based programs exist that address the issues of adolescent depression and anxiety, they are typically either support group websites of static fact-based text websites. Interactive, multimedia programs for parents addressing the issue of emotional problems is much needed. Such a program should have substantial appeal to corporations wishing to provide their working parents with programs that can decrease the stress associated with coping with a child with emotional problems and, therefore, increase productivity. Managed care organizations should also be interested in a program that could help reduce the cost of mental health treatment for adolescents.