Teenage well-being-a virtual support group

ABSTRACT

The pandemic in 2020 and measures to control the COVID-19 virus led to many teenagers and Young People(YP) isolated from their friends, through shielding and extended home schooling. It has affected their mental health and wellbeing, with an increasing demand upon mental health services (BMJ 2021, Miller et al 2020, Jeffery et al 2021). In the Thames Valley we look after approx 200 YP with haemoglobinopathy disorders, a third between the ages of 13 & 18 years. A low prevalence area, a very wide geographical spread, making access to specialist services challenging. Access to technology and virtual connections, and a newly appointed psychologist led us to look at provision of an online wellbeing support group for teenagers. Aims: To invite teenagers between 13-18 years to a weekly 'drop in' group, where they would be able to access strategies and resources to support with varying aspects of well-being, as well as the opportunity to ask questions, in a safe supportive environment. Method: The group initially ran on a weekly basis for one hour at the end of the school day, led by 2 specialist nurses and a clinical psychologist. We covered subjects such as stress, anxiety, low mood, fatigue, as well as more media related content like vaccinations and navigating social media. We used the Zoom platform, but then moved to Microsoft Teams, as this was the Trust's preferred platform. Our YP and their parents were contacted and asked if they would like to join and then they would be sent an invite via email. A reminder was also sent the day before the next meeting. Parents would be included in any email communication and resources;however, they were not encouraged to join the meeting. Meeting etiquette and ground rules were explained at the beginning of the meeting and with each new attendee, in order to establish trust and inclusion. Following the meeting, a summary and any material used was circulated to the whole group. Results: 13 meetings January- November 2021 (Initially weekly, however we changed to monthly over the summer as demand dropped off). Subjects covered include COVID-19 & dealing with anxiety, stress, Low mood/dealing with sadness, Vaccine safety, fatigue, returning to school, Paintalking to people about your diagnosis.Attendance was variable - with the maximum being 6 young people. A short survey was circulated to try and identify what was working, what needed to change and to have input from the YP on content. As a result of this feedback, we moved to a different day of the week and a later session time. Summary: small numbers YP would regularly attend, parents commented they looked forward to this group, which we took to be a sign of success. Other attendees, joined sporadically on 1 or more occasions. We found the YP to be engaged. Most were happy to say hello and introduce themselves on camera but would then prefer the camera off. We didn't have anyone comment on difficulties with access, many used their smartphone devices. Session preapration was time consuming, but as we progressed, we became more efficient at re-using material and needing less 'team brief' time as we understood how the sessions ran. It is an expensive service, professional time wise. However, we haven't compared to using a clinic environment or education room on site, which would take more organising and possibly less availability. There are no transport cost or travel time, so equitable for all Conclusion: This has been a valuable service for a small cohort.