Examining Predictors of Psychological Distress Among Youth Engaging with Jigsaw for a Brief Intervention

TL;DR

This study explores factors linked to psychological distress in youth using a mental health service in Ireland.

Contribution

The study identifies presenting issues among youth that are associated with psychological distress.

Findings

Self-criticism and negative thoughts are strongly associated with psychological distress.

Presenting issues explain only a small portion of variance in distress levels.

Findings suggest a need for targeted therapeutic approaches in youth mental health services.

Abstract

Risk factors for psychological distress among help-seeking youth are poorly understood. Addressing this gap is important for informing mental health service provision. This study aimed to identify risk factors among youth attending Jigsaw, a youth mental health service in Ireland. Routine data were collected from N = 9,673 youth who engaged with Jigsaw (Mean age = 16.9 years, SD = 3.14), including presenting issues, levels of psychological distress, age, and gender. Confirmatory Factor Analysis identified thirteen factors of clustering issues. Several factors, including Self-criticism and Negative Thoughts, were strongly associated with items clustering as psychological distress, however these factors were poorly predictive of distress as measured by the CORE (YP-CORE: R2 = 14.7%, CORE-10: R2 = 6.9%). The findings provide insight into associations between young people’s identified presenting issues and self-identified distress. Implications include applying appropriate therapeutic modalities to focus on risk factors and informing routine outcome measurement in integrated youth mental health services.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10578-022-01436-2.