Cruwys, Tegan, Saeri, Alexander K., Radke, Helena R.M., Walter, Zoe C., Crimston, Charlie R., and Ferris, Laura J. (2019) Risk and protective factors for mental health at a youth mass gathering. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28. pp. 211-222.

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Abstract

Background: Mass gatherings are well-documented for their public health risks; however, little research has examined their impact on mental health or focused on young people specifically. This study explores risk and protective factors for mental health at mass gatherings, with a particular focus on characterising attendees with high levels of psychological distress and risk taking.

Method: Data collection was conducted in situ at “Schoolies”, an annual informal week-long mass gathering of approximately 30,000 Australian school leavers. Participants were 812 attendees of Schoolies on the Gold Coast in 2015 or 2016 (74% aged 17 years old).

Results: In both years, attendee mental health was found to be significantly better than population norms for their age peers. Identification with the mass gathering predicted better mental health, and this relationship became stronger across the course of the mass gathering. Attendees with high levels of psychological distress were more likely to be male, socially isolated, impulsive, and in a friendship group where risk taking was normative.

Conclusions: Mass gatherings may have a net benefit for attendee mental health, especially for those attendees who are subjectively committed to the event. However, a vulnerable subgroup of attendees requires targeted mental health support.

Item ID:	80704
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1435-165X
Copyright Information:	© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018.
Funders:	Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants:	ARC DE160100592
Date Deposited:	16 Oct 2023 23:42
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5205 Social and personality psychology > 520505 Social psychology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280121 Expanding knowledge in psychology @ 100%
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