MEDIA RELEASE
20 May
2014
Novel method of promoting youth
wellbeing
A graphic novel developed by Victoria
University of Wellington researchers aims to promote how
young New Zealanders struggling with depression and other
mental illness can seek help.
A Choice is the first
of several resources in the making as part of the Youth
Wellbeing Study, a research project led by Dr Marc Wilson,
head of Victoria’s School of Psychology, which focuses on
non-suicidal self-injury.
The research team partnered with
Onslow College in Wellington to develop the narrative, with
students contributing to weekly story-boarding sessions.
Imagery was provided by Ant Sang, award-winning illustrator
of the popular television series bro’Town.
Matthew Kan,
an Onslow College student, says it was an inspiring
experience. “The final copy of the comic book turned out
amazing, and the process motivated me to understand
depression and how to get help.”
Dr Jessica Garisch,
Research Fellow and coordinator of the Youth Wellbeing
Project, says “although there are numerous resources
internationally, there are few resources developed
specifically for young New Zealanders based on information
collected from this population themselves”.
Research
shows that up to half of New Zealand’s young people will
engage in some form of self-injury by the time they leave
school. “Hence this is a crucial area to develop further
understanding and resources to assist teens, schools,
whānau and the community,” says Dr Garisch.
An
important part of the Youth Wellbeing Study, which runs
until 2016, is developing useful resources for adolescents,
their whānau, and school staff about how to best support
young people who self-injure.
The study also includes a
longitudinal survey with secondary school students from 15
regional schools and interviews and focus groups with school
counsellors, social workers and youth.
Emma-Jayne Brown, a
psychology PhD student who facilitated the development of
A Choice, says “we're really proud of the graphic
novel and hope it can aid in the discourse around such
important issues”.
A Choice can be downloaded
here: www.victoria.ac.nz/psyc/research/youth-and-wellbeing-study/resources/A-Choice_WIP13.pdf