Mental Health of the Polycrisis Generation
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Stress, Stress-related Problem, Cumulative Trauma, Mental Health Issue. Basic parameters: 18 years — 29 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Poland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
The Mental Health of Young Adults in Times of Polycrisis
Overview
The goal of this observational, longitudinal study is to identify risk and protective factors that buffer the effects of individual daily stress and adaptation to global crises on the quality of life and mental health conditions of young people entering adulthood (aged 18-29, fluent in Polish, and living in Poland). Moderators such as factors related to development, personality variables compatible with the domains according to ICD-11, psychological resilience, closeness in relationships with a partner/friends/parents, and the level of postformal thinking will also be considered. The main hypotheses it aims to consider are: H1: Poorer adaptation to individual and global crises is associated with higher levels of perceived stress, leading to worse indicators of mental health and quality of life. H2: A higher level of implementation of developmental tasks, including more fulfilled criteria of adulthood and a mature identity, mitigates the relationship between stress/ crisis adaptation and health and quality of life indicators. H3: Resilience and better relationships (closeness with a partner/ friends/ parents) buffer the negative effect of stress on health and quality of life. H4: A higher level of postformal thinking mitigates the relationship between stress/ crisis adaptation and health and quality of life indicators. H5: A higher intensity of psychopathological personality traits is a risk factor that amplifies the negative effect of stress on health and quality of life. Researchers will analyze measurements taken from the same group (a representative sample of Polish young adults) at two time points - now and in 12 months. The aim is to observe the extent to which the effects of current daily stressors and adaptation to the crisis, as well as the effects of potential moderators, are relatively stable.
Detailed description
Background: The WHO and other international organizations clearly indicate the co-occurrence of multiple health problems and an increasing trend in the deterioration of mental health among young people. This is related to the experience of cumulative stress, generally referred to as a 'polycrisis', which involves the simultaneous occurrence of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, displacements and trauma resulting from the war in Ukraine, and climate change.
An additional factor is the stress of daily life and everyday challenges. These latter seem particularly important during the period when an individual faces some of the greatest challenges, such as entering young adulthood and taking on adult roles. However, there is a lack of studies analyzing the risk factors and protective factors that buffer the impact of contemporary cumulative stress on the mental health of young adults in different cultures (including Polish).
Participants: a representative population of 600 Polish young adults, aged 18-29.
Methodology: Analysis of data collected through psychological scales and questionnaires related to daily stress, adaptation to global crises, mental health conditions, quality of life, meeting mature developmental criteria, personality traits, resilience, closeness in relationships, and postformal thinking.
Primary outcome measures
- The International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire (IADQ) [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- The International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire (IADQ) - POLI [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- Perceived Stress Scale (PPS-10) [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- Personality Traits (PiCD) [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- The Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS) [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- The Markers of Adulthood [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- The Resilience Measure Questionnaire (KOP-26) [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- Closeness to biological mother and father questionnaire [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- Closeness to partner/ friend questionnaire [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
- Daily Problems Test [Time frame: September 01, 2024 until September 30, 2024]
Secondary outcome measures (12)
- The International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire (IADQ) [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- The International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire (IADQ) - POLI [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- Perceived Stress Scale (PPS-10) [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- Personality Traits (PiCD) [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- The Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS) [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- The Markers of Adulthood [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- The Resilience Measure Questionnaire (KOP-26) [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- Closeness to biological mother and father questionnaire [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- Closeness to partner/ friend questionnaire [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- Daily Problems Test [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
- The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-PL) [Time frame: September 30, 2025 until October 30, 2025]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age between 18 and 29 years
- Standard educational opportunities
- Polish fluent
- Polish nationality
Exclusion criteria
- Intellectual disability
- Inability to self-complete the research questionnaires
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Poland · 2 centers
- Behaviour in Crisis Lab, Impact of cumulative stress on the mental health of young people — Krakow
- Behaviour in Crisis Lab, Jagiellonian University — Krakow
Publications
- Lawrance EL, Jennings N, Kioupi V, Thompson R, Diffey J, Vercammen A. Psychological responses, mental health, and sense of agency for the dual challenges of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in young people in the UK: an online survey study. Lancet Planet Health. 2022 Sep;6(9):e726-e738. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00172-3. PMID 36087603
- Kauhanen L, Wan Mohd Yunus WMA, Lempinen L, Peltonen K, Gyllenberg D, Mishina K, Gilbert S, Bastola K, Brown JSL, Sourander A. A systematic review of the mental health changes of children and young people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023 Jun;32(6):995-1013. doi: 10.1007/s00787-022-02060-0. Epub 2022 Aug 12. PMID 35962147
- Lloyd K, Schubotz D, Roche R, Manzi J, McKnight M. A Mental Health Pandemic? Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Young People's Mental Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 9;20(16):6550. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20166550. PMID 37623136
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06515704 · Polycrisis