Conceptualization of a decision-analytic model in youth mental health: an application of stakeholder engagement in...

The long-term impact of preventive policies in the Netherlands on the mental health of young adults remains unclear. Therefore, this paper describes the development of a conceptual model of youth mental health that serves as the foundation of a future decision-analytic model.

Stakeholders were engaged through three rounds of focus group discussions to indicate the factors of youth mental health that affect the likelihood of developing mental disorders later in life and the relationships among them. Findings were discussed with stakeholders and in a study team that included members with diverse backgrounds. Literature was used as an additional information source for the relationships among the selected factors.

In total, 43 stakeholders participated in the focus group discussions. Eleven factors of youth mental health were regarded as most influential, with 13 relationships among them. The final conceptual model was approved by the stakeholders and the study team.

Through integrating stakeholder perspectives and published literature, a conceptual model was created that captures essential factors and relationships affecting (long-term) mental health. Although stakeholder engagement requires extensive planning, it enhanced the model's credibility and validity, and could therefore serve as a complement to other conceptual modeling approaches.