In Italy, one in three young people suffers from depression, according to a study by IULM University. The decline in young people's psychological well-being is linked to stress, isolation, and a less than healthy lifestyle. The WHO, along with a number of different European initiatives, supports the integration of community support services, promoting the importance of cultural activities and active participation by young people as a way to deal with the problem and improve quality of life.
In Italy, one out of every three young people is depressed. This is the result of a longitudinal study conducted on a sample group of 15 thousand young people between the ages of 19 and 25 (both workers and students), supported by IULM University in Milan along with the “Villa Santa Maria” foundation and recently published in the book La città che cambia: vita quotidiana e attrattività turistica (The Changing City: Everyday Life and Tourist Attraction) – Lumi Edizioni Universitarie.
The academic years are a crucial transitional period, characterised by new responsibilities, challenges and opportunities, which have impacts on students’ mental and physical health. Stress and anxiety, often amplified by a sense of social isolation and by the difficulty of managing one’s time, are common, and students, overwhelmed by the amount of work and by academic expectations, tend to neglect their passions, their hobbies and, above all, their health. A hectic pace of life and unhealthy habits, like eating unbalanced diets and missing sleep, are widespread.
Participants in the study were administered the Psychological General Well-Being questionnaire, which assesses six specific domains: anxiety levels, depression, positive well-being, self-control, general health, and vitality. Among the questions, we find: “Have you been bothered by nervousness or your “nerves” during the past month?” and “How much energy, pep, or vitality did you have or feel during the past month?”
The answers correspond to point values, whose sum represents a score (on a scale from 0 to 110). A score between 70 and 90 is considered “normal”. In 2008, the average score was 77.7; in 2018, it fell to 75.7. In 2023, it dropped to 68.5, below the critical threshold of 70 identified by the working group.
Gender (women registered a lower level of psychological well-being), education (university graduates enjoy better health), and the type of area where people live, urban or rural, are all factors that have an impact. Although city living offers more opportunities, the social fragmentation often experienced in urban environments means well-being is higher among young people who live in the country. An alarming situation that calls for immediate action.
The WHO guidelines for improving mental health among young people
The pressing need for action to improve young people’s mental health has also been underscored by the WHO, the World Health Organisation, which, in collaboration with UNICEF, published a report in October entitled Mental Health of Children and Young People. Service Guidance. The document highlights the fact that mental health services are often difficult to access and distributed inequitably and in variable quantity and quality, and points to the pressing need to implement and reorganize these services at the community level. Furthermore, the report highlights the way in which mental health is influenced by a complex interplay of social, community, family and individual determinants that vary across the course of life, accumulating and reinforcing each other. In order to respond effectively to young people’s needs, the report recommends an integrated approach across multiple sectors, with the involvement of health, social protection, education, housing, employment, and other essential sectors.
The approach recommended by the WHO is that of incentivising mental health services that are community-based, as these are easier to accept (especially in terms of stigma) than those within medical and healthcare institutions. It also emphasises the importance of encouraging young people’s active participation in the services themselves and in community activities and projects, so that they are the creators and leading actors of the initiatives designed for their benefit.
There are increasing numbers of projects for young people along these lines being created all across Europe, with the EU naming 2022 the European Year of Youth, involving 13 thousand young people in activities in a full 67 countries, helping them to work together to draw up the EU Strategy for Youth 2019–2027.
Cultural activities and university projects for psychological well-being
Activities involving art and culture can play an important role when it comes to achieving these goals for health and well-being. 2023 saw the publication of the Youth, Mental Health & Culture report, supported by the European program Voices Of Culture. It brought together professionals from 23 countries, representing 54 organisations selected through an open call that was launched in the sectors of culture, health, education and social services, to reflect on the role cultural activities play in young people’s mental health and formulate recommendations for greater participation by the arts and culture sector in public health in Europe. Among its various recommendations, the project group highlighted the central importance of a peer-to-peer approach, the need for large-scale studies to test the efficacy of projects, and the importance of cross-sectoral collaborations and of built-in youth participation and project co-creation.
It is essential to encourage a well-balanced attitude, regular physical exercise, a balanced diet and sufficient rest, but also to guarantee psychological and social support. Universities can play an active role in this area, offering specific programs and encouraging community building through extracurricular activities. It is essential that they make resources and spaces available for recreational and cultural activities, interest groups and events, in order to foster inclusion and connection between students so as to build meaningful relationships, but also to open up new prospects for their futures in the world of work. The Italian Ministry for Universities and Research has earmarked 20 million euros for Pro-ben 2024, whose purpose is to foster psychological well-being amongst students in universities and institutions of higher education specialising in the arts and music (schools of the fine arts and conservatories), with the objective of offering an effective response to conditions of emotional fragility and psychological distress intimately related to cognition.
This is the tack taken by the international Healthy Campus programme, created in 2019 to determine how “healthy” a given university is. Based on 100 criteria, the project offers a complete check-list that includes goals related to physical well-being, a culture of prevention, sustainability, the prevention of diseases and mental illnesses and the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Approximately 160 universities around the world have signed up, implementing a plan and monitoring their progress through scores and evidence, by which they achieve a certification level that runs from “bronze” through “platinum”.
European projects also exist in line with these recommendations, like HEARTS: Higher Education Action Response for Trauma Support - an Erasmus+ project involving the Universities of Barcelona, Lisbon, Malta and Cagliari, the SCT- Social Community Theatre Centre with the Turin-based COREP – Consorzio per la Ricerca e l’Educazione Permanente di Torino (Consortium for Research and Continuing Education) and the International Union for Health Promotion and Education in the co-design of innovative methodologies for promoting mental health, offering strategies for trauma prevention and support amongst youth through an approach that is “culturally sensitive, digitally relevant and community-based”.
In order to achieve these goals, HEARTS is developing and testing an original methodology through workshops for university students and staff, who will test out different activities, including intercultural and interreligious dialogue, community theatre, storytelling, community building, critical heritage studies, culturally sensitive cognitive behavioural therapy, and gamification. The project, which will conclude by the end of 2025, will result in a handbook of best practices and a set of guidelines and recommendations for institutes of higher learning to use to promote young people’s mental health through their chosen HEARTS methodology.
The role institutions play
Youth mental health is a public health priority that must be confronted by overcoming stigma and by designing and testing, together with young people, creative answers based on active participation in community life. Activities involving art and culture, in particular, represent a valuable resource for promoting good health and managing mental distress, helping to improve quality of life. It is essential that all of the actors involved—universities, educators, and families—jointly commit to planning a happy and fulfilling future.
By Catterina Seia (Presidente CCW – Cultural Welfare Centre) e Marta Reichlin (PhD, Cultural Welfare Center (CCW), Research Area)
