Clinical trial NCT03328286: Improving Integration of Mentally Burdened Young Adults in the Labour Market
Official title: Improving Integration of Mentally Burdened Young Adults in the Labour Market
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Disorder
Lead sponsor: Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-11-01
Enrollment: 40
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 16
Maximum age (years): 25
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Young adults who do not successfully transition from compulsory education to upper secondary level are at increased risk of developing mental illness, as compared with their working peers. The causality is unclear: they are either unable to find a job due to a pre-existing mental illness, or their failure in finding a job has contributed to the mental illness.

The Zurich University of Applied Sciences has developed an innovative intervention that includes psychotherapeutic support in a work integration programme. Recognising and treating mental illness early increases the chances of a successful transition to the labour market.

Detailed description: Unemployed young people with severe psychological impairments often find no training or workplace, despite the support of various existing services. Many of these young people suffer from a mental illness, but they are often neither diagnosed nor treated. In Switzerland, this is reflected in the increasing number of young people who receive a disability pension. To make matters worse, young people often do not use the necessary psychotherapeutic treatment. An explanation for this may be the fear of being stigmatized or the lack of insight that help is needed al all. A group of researchers has analyzed the dossiers of 400 young people who were given a disability pension 2010 and 2013 due to mental problems. They have found that the consultation often took place before the 23rd year of age and in 84% of the cases whole disability pensions were given. In the analysed cases only 14% had completed vocational training. The authors propose various measures, including prioritizing the completion of a professional apprenticeship, a systematic interdisciplinary assessment, a joint, longer-lasting integration management, as well as early detection and intervention in psychological disorders in school and vocational training. Our intervention meets these requirements. Together with lifetime health, a provider work working integrations programs, we have developed a low-threshold psychotherapeutic offer in addition to the existing work integration program. With this intervention we hope to reach the following goals. First: Facilitate the transition into a professional apprenticeship by increasing work ability and other variables. Secondly, the integration and cooperation of a psychotherapist in the work integration program allows for a systematic interdisciplinary assessment; third, the support of a psychotherapist offers a joint, longer-lasting integration management.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 16 to 25
* Participation in work integration programme "Lifetimehealth"

Exclusion Criteria:

* Insufficient knowledge of German
* Participant is under guardianship which doesn't allow legal capacity to act

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Work Ability
timeFrame: Up to 2 years
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Self-esteem
timeFrame: Up to 2 years
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Zürich
country: Switzerland
facility: Toni Areal
Study officials:
affiliation: University of applied sciences
name: Agnes von Wyl, Prof
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Sabatella F, von Wyl A. Improving Work Ability of Mentally Burdened Emerging Adults in Vocational Integration Programs: A Study Protocol. Front Psychol. 2019 Jun 19;10:1391. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01391. eCollection 2019.