Reaching Teens Where They Are: Integrating Digital Low-Intensity Mental Health Treatment Into Park District Teen Programming

Amid an unprecedented youth mental health crisis, adolescents and young adults (AYA) have the most barriers to receiving mental healthcare. While digital tools are a scalable and accessible way to provide timely mental health screening and referral options, these tools have failed to engage AYA in their daily lives. This failure is driven by multiple factors, including a lack of: 1) understanding of implementation determinants for digital tools in community spaces; and 2) partnership with AYA, their caregivers, and support staff who work in key community settings where AYA spend their time. The goal of this study is to target AYA engagement in the design and implementation of a digital low-intensity treatment for AYA in Chicago Park District (CPkD) Teen Programming. The CPkD is the largest park district in the country, and more than 40,000 youth are served daily across all 77 Chicago neighborhoods. This project harnesses on a partnership with CPkD and is grounded in the Accelerated Creation-to-Sustainment (ACTS) Model to guide the development of a technology ("VIBE in the Parks"), as well as its service and implementation plans for CPkD sites. Aim 1 follows the first phase of the ACTS Model, Create. Human-centered design and community-engaged research methodologies will be used to collaborate with the existing CPkD Youth Advisory Board and Teen Programming participants, caregivers of AYA served by CPkD, and CPkD staff. Design activities will focus on targeting mechanisms that are believed to influence engagement: 1) individual-level barriers to care; 2) leveraging spaces where youth spend their time, including assessing determinants in these spaces; and 3) elevating key player input throughout design. The products of Aim 1 will include: an initial version of "VIBE in the Parks" that demonstrates usability and acceptability by key players, a service protocol for integration of the "VIBE in the Parks" and potential higher clinical needs reported by AYA as a result of using the tool, and an implementation blueprint for integration into CPkD programming. Additionally, extended usability testing will pilot all trial activities to be conducted in Aim 2. In Aim 2, the second phase of the ACTS Model, Trial, will be followed by conducting a pilot randomized controlled trial in CPkD sites using an Optimization, Effectiveness, and Implementation trial methodology. The "VIBE in the Parks" will be compared to a control condition (digital workbook) across a pragmatic, rollout implementation trial. Primary outcomes include acceptability and feasibility, along with reductions of individual levels to mental healthcare, DMH use, and, secondarily, clinical outcomes (anxiety, depression). Optimization activities will occur across the trial period. In sum, the naturalistic approach of this work addresses multiple barriers to real-world digital tool engagement failures for AYA. It will provide key insights into engagement strategies, adaptations, and both service and implementation practices that will support AYA in community settings.