Resources used by young people to overcome mental distress in deprived settings in Latin America: a qualitative study

TL;DR

This study explores how young people in poor urban areas of Latin America cope with mental distress using various resources and activities.

Contribution

The study identifies specific resources and activities used by young people in deprived settings to manage mental distress, highlighting gender and age differences.

Findings

Participants reported using social, personal, recreational, and physical resources to manage mental distress.

Resources like social support and physical activity were more frequently used by those who recovered from symptoms.

Arts activities were more common among those who did not recover from mental health symptoms.

Abstract

Adolescence and young adulthood are critical stages for developing mental health problems. However, the ability to cope with adversity can help them manage emotional distress and overcome mental health conditions. This qualitative study aims to describe the resources reported by urban Latin-American young people as useful to overcome mental distress.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 112 adolescents (age 15–16 years) and young adults (age 20–24 years) who participated in a cohort study in deprived urban areas of Bogota, Buenos Aires and Lima. All of them had symptoms of depression (PHQ-8 > 9) and/or anxiety (GAD-7 > 9) at their inclusion in the cohort. The interviews took place after a 12-month follow-up.

To overcome mental distress, participants reported most social and personal resources, as well as recreational and leisure activities, followed by physical activities and sports, and relaxation activities. All resources were mentioned by both genders and age groups. However, several resources were reported more frequently by female and young adult participants than by male and adolescents. Social and personal resources, physical activity and sports, recreational and leisure activities, and educational activities were reported more frequently by participants who recovered from their symptoms of depression and/or anxiety after 12 months. Conversely, arts activities were reported more by participants who did not recover from their symptoms.

The results show that young people in deprived urban settings in Latin America use a range of resources and activities they consider helpful to overcome mental distress. Policies for improving mental health of young people should consider promoting the most helpful activities and resources. Further research may explore how exactly these resources help to reduce mental distress and how they can be strengthened.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-025-02830-w.