Telehealth for Social Interventions With Adolescents and Young Adults: Diverse Perspectives. - Chaire-réseau de recherche sur la jeunesse du Québec

Notice bibliographique

Ziani, M., Khoury, E., Boisvert-Viens, J., Niyonkuru, G., Bentayeb, N. et Goyette, M. (2022). Telehealth for Social Interventions With Adolescents and Young Adults: Diverse Perspectives. Australian Social Work, 1-13.

Résumé

This article describes the telehealth experiences of adolescents, young adults, and youth workers during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Québec, Canada, where remote appointments was the recommended alternative to in-person meetings due to various public health restrictions. Four main themes emerged from individual interviews with nine adolescents and young adults (aged 15–25 years) and focus groups with 35 service providers: the trust relationship, loss of nonverbal communication, confidentiality concerns, and youth disengagement. Participants agreed that face-to-face psychosocial intervention is the preferred option for quality care and service. However, with appropriate support and infrastructure, telehealth could be a reliable alternate modality for reaching adolescents and young adults in remote and rural areas as well as for follow-up care for adolescents and young adults who have an established and trusted relationship with their service provider. For interventions to remain youth-friendly and person-centred, adolescents and young adults must always be offered a choice of modality.