Abstract
Young people’s involvement in mental health policymaking initiatives has grown in several countries. There has been, however, little attention to this matter in the academic and grey literature. A scoping review was conducted to provide a better understanding of the state of child and youth participation in mental health policy making around the globe. The last step in this review was a global online consultation where primary findings from the review were presented to stakeholders via individual and group interviews. Stakeholders (n=44 from 16 countries) were divided into three categories: young people (14-25 years), adult allies, and policy makers. Participants were invited to reflect on how the findings aligned/not with their subjective experiences in the field. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded thematically using NVivo11. Researcher's limited attention to participants’ demographics caught the attention of stakeholders. All groups of stakeholders agreed upon the importance of diversifying the perspectives brought into mental health policymaking. They also identified ways to facilitate the participation of young people in different settings and with various levels of ability. This poster explores the consultation data collected using an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion framework. Knowing who is at the table and who gets to contribute to mental health policymaking is key to addressing the needs of a wide range of young people. Researchers should pay more attention to reporting the demographic of participants as well as evaluating the groups and interests they represent.
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