Grant: Operating Grant

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent, distressing, and disabling of psychiatric disorders in youth. If left untreated, anxiety disorders in youth put them at risk in later life for major depression, adult anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and poor physical health. Although research examining anxiety disorders in youth is growing, most of the focus is on addressing prevalence, symptoms, and factors contributing to anxiety disorders, and not on what youth think and feel. Missing is an understanding of what it is like to be a youth living with an anxiety disorder. The purpose of this 3-year study is to arrive at an increased understanding of youth's perspectives and experiences of living with an anxiety disorder. Primary participants are youth (ages 10-18 years) newly referred for one or more anxiety disorders. Youth's parents will also be recruited to provide added insights about how anxiety disorders shape their child's daily life. Data collection methods include interviews combined with photovoice which is a process that involves youth taking photographs to document their experiences. Analysis will involve several steps with the aim of striving for a detailed account of the meanings relevant to youth's experiences of living with anxiety disorders. Overall, this research is very important given the high prevalence of anxiety disorders in youth and the priority given by the Mental Health Commission for the need to advance mental health research in youth. This study will result in foundational knowledge that extends beyond what is presently known about youth living with an anxiety disorder. By obtaining youth's perspective of what it is like to live with an anxiety disorder, our understanding of their experiences will be deepened. The knowledge gleaned from this study may be used to inform existing interventions, and lead to the development of new models of care and treatment services for youth living with anxiety disorders.