Abstract
Introduction: Good mental well-being is pivotal to a young person’s development, study performance and working life skills. Educational institutions play a key role in supporting the mental well-being of young people and are also required to strengthen the well-being of their students under the law. The Youth Compass method aims to support young people’s well-being skills, such as psychological flexibility and the skills this contains, and to prevent mental health problems. The method is fully web-based and can be used as part of the activities of educational institutions. It was originally developed for secondary school students, but it is also suitable for young people in the early stages of upper secondary education.
Data and methods: The literature search was carried out using the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) search strategy typical for literature reviews with a focus on the question: What research has been conducted on the Youth Compass method? The used search terms were: P = young people, secondary school, upper secondary education, C = Youth Compass, C = school, home, healthcare. The primary focus of interest of the literature search was on impact studies related to the method, but studies using other research designs were also included. A systematic literature search was performed in the following databases: MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science and Scopus databases and was complemented by a manual search.
Results: Based on the literature search, eight studies were included in the review. Five of these were Finnish impact studies which served as the basis for the impact assessment of the method. Three additional Finnish studies were included that did not assess the impact or implementation of the method. Based on the included studies and the methodological guide, the description and theoretical justification of the Youth Compass method are sufficient. The method has been found to have positive effects on young people’s depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, satisfaction with life, stress, academic flexibility and uncertainty related to career planning. It has also been found to increase the ability to make decisions on career choices. The impacts on responses were minor at most for young people attending secondary school (d = 0.03–0.48, NNT (Number-Needed-to-Treat) = 3.76–62.5). The quality of the impact studies varied from satisfactory to good. The implementation readiness of the Young Compass was not sufficiently met based on the assessment of the used areas. The method is currently in national distribution on a stand-alone basis, i.e. those interested in the method can participate by registering on the website and studying it independently.
Overall assessment: The method receives an overall score of 4/5, i.e. there is moderate documented evidence of the method in the Finnish context. The overall assessment is based on impact studies in which the method was implemented on a web-based platform and through in-person and digital guidance.