Our Most Vulnerable Service Users: The Psychosocial Characteristics of
Young People Accessing Youth Services in Australia
Abstract
Objective: The present study aimed to characterise the
intersecting sociodemographic, psychiatric and substance use needs of
young people seeking treatment across multiple primary mental health,
justice and alcohol and drug services within Australia.
Methods: Data from four separate studies (N = 867) that
investigated social and emotional wellbeing in young people aged
16-25-years-old were used in the present study (three studies recruited
service users; one study recruited community participants)
Results: The sociodemographic characteristics of service users
differed substantially to the community sample. Service users identified
as non-binary, LGBTIQ+ and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander at
substantially greater proportions compared to the community sample.
Family violence, involvement in criminal justice, homelessness and child
protection services was considerably more common among service users
than in the community sample and nearly one-third of service users were
disengaged from opportunities for learning and vocational attainment.
With respect to psychiatric characteristics, the majority of service
users had been diagnosed with two or more psychiatric disorders and,
almost two- thirds reported engagement in non-suicidal self- injury
across their lifetime. Service users engaged in lower rates of lifetime
and harmful alcohol use compared to the community sample; however, they
reported significantly higher rates of lifetime and harmful drug use
with more than one-third of service users engaged in poly-substance use.
Conclusion: The comprehensive examination of the
sociodemographic, psychiatric and substance use characteristics of young
service users in the present study highlights the intersection of early
childhood adversity, adolescent mental ill-health, polysubstance use and
psychosocial vulnerabilities across multiple determinants of social and
emotional wellbeing. The cohort were indeed representative of some of
the most vulnerable in our society. The need for developmentally
informed, inter-sectoral systems of care that address the intersecting
vulnerabilities of these young Australian service users are discussed