Journal Article

Exploring the perspectives of young adults on mental healthcare and systemic health, education, and social challenges in Australia: a qualitative study

Collins, Khan R. L., Hood, Sean D., Majda, Bernadette T., Cooper, Zahra, Akkari, Anthony, Rodger, Jennifer, Woodland, Sarah, Landery, Georgia, Stanley, Susanne, Roberts, Bradley

2025

نظرة عامة

Background Young people often face significant challenges accessing effective mental health support as they navigate through complex healthcare systems, education pathways, and social pressures. Understanding the service-level barriers they encounter is critical to improving mental health system design and delivery. While previous studies have examined individual barriers to mental healthcare access, few have adopted a cross-sectorial, youth-informed approach which captures the interrelated structural, institutional, and socio-cultural factors influencing young people’s mental health experiences. Methods Seventeen participants aged 18–24 years with lived experience of depression and/or anxiety participated in nine in-person focus groups and interviews in Perth. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify systemic barriers and facilitators to mental healthcare, with a particular focus on access, care coordination, therapeutic engagement, and service responsiveness. Results Key themes included fragmented care pathways, inadequate provider follow-up, prolonged wait times, financial constraints, lack of youth-specific mental health training among clinicians, and limited therapeutic rapport. Participants also described inadequate mental health literacy within schools and persistent stigma in social and familial settings. These intersecting barriers hindered access, disrupted continuity of care, and undermined trust in the mental health system. Conclusions Findings highlight critical inefficiencies in mental health service delivery for young Australians. Policy responses should prioritise integrated care models, investment in multidisciplinary youth mental health hubs, improved school-based mental health literacy, and culturally inclusive anti-stigma initiatives to promote access, trust, and continuity of care.

• الناشر: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• موضوع: Academic achievement / Access to mental healthcare / Antidepressants / Anxiety / Beliefs, opinions and attitudes / Care and treatment / Clinical outcomes / Continuity of care / Data analysis / Education / Emotional disorders / Focus groups / Health Administration / Health aspects / Health Informatics / Health services / Health systems reform / Help-seeking behavior / Interviews / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental health care / Mental health service delivery / Mood disorders / Nursing Research / Pediatrics / Primary care / Psychiatric services / Public Health / Qualitative research / Social aspects / Systemic challenges to healthcare / Young adults / Youth mental health