The Aboriginal and Islander Mental Health Initiative for Youth (AIMhi-Y): Development Phase One project aims to complete the first phase of development of a new electronic mental health app co-designed with First Nations youth. Forty First Nations youth from remote and urban communities in the NT, aged 10-18 who attend two schools in Darwin and Tiwi Islands plus youth attending a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation service in Darwin are invited to a series of small group discussions.

Groups are facilitated by a Senior Indigenous Research Officer and the scholarship recipient. Group discussions explore mental health language and terms, current understanding, help seeking behaviours, and awareness and acceptability of mental health apps. Currently available apps are presented in the groups and discussions will explore what they like and do not like about them. A concurrent, online survey asks how young people use technology, which apps and programs they use and what attributes they like or do not like about them. A selection of young people from the group discussions, are invited to become peer researchers by supporting their peers to complete the online survey.  Findings are analysed by the research team in collaboration with the young people. Findings will inform the draft of a new mental health app that young people can access independently at any time with an aim to increase access to structured, culturally responsive, early intervention mental health care.

Supervisors: Dr Kylie Dingwall, Associate Professor Tricia Nagel, Associate Professor Anne Lowell, Dr Fiona Shand & Dr Michelle Sweet.