Wellbeing while waiting evaluating social prescribing in CAMHS: study protocol for a hybrid type II...

Area of Science:

• Child and adolescent mental health research
• Implementation science
• Community-based interventions

Background:

• Social prescribing, a non-medical community support, benefits adult mental health.
• Emerging use in child and youth settings shows promising results.
• Pathways are developing for social prescribing in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for youth on waiting lists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of social prescribing for children and young people on CAMHS waiting lists.
• To assess the impact of social prescribing on mental health and wellbeing in pediatric populations.
• To inform the development and implementation of social prescribing within CAMHS.

Main Methods:

• Observational, hybrid type II implementation-effectiveness design.
• Comparison of outcomes between youth receiving social prescribing and a control group.
• Collection of questionnaire data at baseline, 3, and 6 months, alongside qualitative interviews.

Main Results:

• Primary outcomes include changes in anxiety, depression, stress, and emotional/behavioral difficulties.
• Secondary outcomes assess loneliness, resilience, happiness, life satisfaction, and service use.
• Implementation strand explores acceptability, feasibility, suitability, and perceived impact.

Conclusions:

• The study will provide rigorous evidence on social prescribing for youth mental health.
• Findings will guide prioritization, commissioning, and operation of social prescribing in CAMHS.
• Results will be disseminated via study website and national/international networks.