Mental well-being of young people on Gotland: A research-based regional development project
The mental health of young people is crucial for both individual well-being and societal development. On Gotland, almost half of young people of secondary and upper secondary school age have moderate to low mental well-being. Despite this, there is a lack of structured work to promote young people's mental well-being at the regional level. The project aims to explore young people's ideas about what can be done in the local community on Gotland to strengthen their mental well-being. The results of the project will then enable further work, in a future project, to develop an action plan for young people's mental wellbeing on Gotland, together with young people and various stakeholders in Gotland society.
Details
- Period: 2024-12-16 – 2026-06-30
- Funder: Region Gotland, Länsförsäkringar Gotland, Church of Sweden Visby Parish and the research group Chap at Uppsala University
This regional research-based development project is owned by Region Gotland and the CHAP research group is responsible for implementing the research in the project.
Background
Both internationally and in Sweden, young people's mental health is a recognised area of great importance for strengthening the health of individuals, but also for the development of society and for achieving social sustainability. Research on Gotland shows that almost one in two young people of secondary and upper secondary school age have moderate to low mental well-being. Mental well-being is a prerequisite for people to function well and to contribute to their own and society's development. Poor mental well-being can lead to mental health problems, but also to physical illness and premature death. Therefore, if a large proportion of young people in a region have poor mental well-being, this can have major negative consequences for the region. Instead, a high level of mental well-being can protect against mental health problems and is a resource for both individuals and society to be productive and resilient. Mental well-being is recognised by the WHO, the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the National Board of Health and Welfare and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions as a crucial factor for the development of society, both socially and economically.
The aim of the project
The aim of this project is to work with seven young people aged 13-21 as co-researchers to explore ideas about what can be done in the local community on Gotland to strengthen young people's mental well-being. The young co-researchers are involved in the planning and implementation of parts of sub-studies I and II of the project. The project includes the following studies:
- Study I: The aim is to describe examples of initiatives in Gotland society that promote the mental well-being of young people (aged 13–24).
- Study II: The aim is to investigate young people's own thoughts on what can be done in different sectors of society on Gotland to promote mental well-being among young people.
- Study III: The aim is to investigate how nurses in school health care on Gotland work to promote young people's mental well-being.
- Study IV: The aim is to investigate young people's perceptions of how activities focusing on existential health affect their mental well-being.
Based on the results of these studies, the young co-researchers, together with researchers, will compile a final report with recommendations on areas of intervention in Gotland society to promote young people's mental well-being.
Read more about the project implementation
The project is being carried out in two main phases:
The first phase (25-01-01 to 25-06-30) focuses on co-creative planning of the continued research process. Seven young people (aged 13-21) have been recruited as co-researchers and will meet with researchers from CHAP at several workshops to build a safe group, set rules and plan the group's work, with the support of a framework developed for co-creative research.
Planning and start of data collection for study I will then take place. Planning will also be carried out for studies II-IV.
In the second phase (25-07-01-26-06-30), data collection in study I will be completed, mainly by the young co-researchers. They then participate in data analysis and compilation of results together with the researchers.
Data collection is carried out in study II, where researchers interview young people about their thoughts on initiatives in society to promote young people's mental well-being. The young co-researchers carry out analysis and reporting of results together with the researchers.
Data collection, analysis and reporting of results are carried out by researchers and nursing students in studies III and IV together with students from Uppsala University.
Finally, the young co-researchers work together with the researchers to summarise the results from the various studies and draw conclusions about which areas of intervention are particularly important to work on in order to strengthen young people's mental well-being on Gotland. The final results will be presented at a seminar during Almedalsveckan 2026.
Those working in the project
Veronica Hermann, associated researcher at CHAP and public health strategist in Region Gotland
Georgina Warner, associate professor and researcher at CHAP
Tove Törnqvist, organisation developer at Region Gotland
Seven co-researchers ages 13-20
Contact
Please reach out to Veronica Hermann if you have any questions
