Introduction / Launch of the NSMHWB (10 min)
Speaker: Dr Sophie Davison, Chief Psychiatrist, Commonwealth Government

The epidemiology of mental and substance use disorders and suicidality in Australia 2020-22: Prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, severity, impairment and changes over time (15 min)
Speaker: Matt Sunderland, Associate Professor, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental health and Substance Use

Services used for mental health in Australia in 2020-22: Patterns, correlates and changes since 2007 (15 min)
Speaker: Meredith Harris, Principal Research Fellow, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland / Principal Researcher (Honorary), Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research

Q&A (15 mins)

Background: The active involvement of young people in determining research priorities has the potential to improve the relevance and validity of research and contribute to improved health outcomes. The Youth Priorities Project, co-produced by the PREMISE and Matilda Centre Youth Advisory Board (YAB), sought to gather Australian youth perspectives on research priorities for mental health and substance use prevention.

Methods: This three-stage, co-produced project comprised of an online survey of N=653 young Australians (M age: 17.8yrs; 54% female, 29% male, 12% non-binary; 77% with lived experience), focus groups conducted by a YAB member (N=7 participants) and meetings with YAB members to establish a consensus list of top priorities, principles and actions.

Results: The stage 1 results strongly emphasised need for increased investment in prevention, addressing the full range of intersecting social and behavioural factors and their impacts on mental health. Stage 2 further underscored the need for changes within the healthcare system to support young people’s needs. Final consensus meetings resulted in a list of top priorities, principles and actions, which will be presented.

Conclusion: These findings offer valuable insights into youth perspectives to shape future prevention and early intervention efforts, empowering young people to contribute to a mentally healthy future.

Young people living with or supporting a sibling with mental illness are unlikely to be recognised as carers. Thus, these young people may lack appropriate supports, feel invisible and disconnected, and experience poorer mental health and wellbeing. This project aimed to improve our understanding of the experiences and support needs of young sibling carers and develop lived-experience driven targets for future research. To date, 185 Australian young people (18-25 years) have shared their experiences of supporting a sibling through focus groups (n = 5) and a mixed methods survey (n = 180). Preliminary analyses indicate that despite providing emotional and instrumental support to their sibling in times of mental ill-health, young people may describe themselves as a best friend, supporter, or “third parent” rather than a carer. Young people’s priorities for research highlight the importance of considering the whole family when one sibling experiences mental ill-health, including the complex relationships between family dynamics, parental and sibling relationships and mental health. Priorities also indicate a need for resources to help young carers best support themselves and their siblings. By looking beyond the individual to strengthen family environments and relationships, we can identify impactful ways to promote and protect young people’s wellbeing.