Keithley, Stephanie (2024) Social Connectedness in Youth Recovery: Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities and for Youth with Mental Health Concerns. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Mental health (MH) disorders have increased among youth to critical levels worldwide. Research has shown that social connectedness is a protective factor for youth MH. Similarly, connectedness is indicated in models of personal recovery, such as the CHIME (Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning, Empowerment) framework. However, research exploring the adaptability of such models to youth recovery is limited, and a gap remains in understanding the unique experience of youth and how connectedness shapes their recovery. Therefore, the current study aimed to bridge this gap by exploring the barriers and enablers of connectedness in the context of youth recovery. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 16 youth participants, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (TA) Consistent with prior research, results demonstrate that youth with MH concerns experience isolation, exclusion, and disrupted identity and autonomy processes as barriers to connectedness within the course of their recovery. This study adds to the literature by demonstrating the principal importance of connectedness within the domains of the CHIME model as it applies to youth recovery, since overcoming each of these barriers is contingent upon restoring connectedness and developing resilience to maintain and build new connections. Additionally, this study demonstrates the relevance of the adapted model of recovery processes proposed by Dallinger et al. (2023), by integrating the domain of connectedness into a synergistic series of resilience and restorative processes unique to youth recovery.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Krishnamoorthy, Govind |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Jan 2026 02:49 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Jan 2026 02:49 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | youth recovery, connectedness, resilience, restoration, CHIME |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520304 Health psychology |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53093 |
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