Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and Portugal
NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) status is associated with psychological distress and suicidality. Social prescribing may offer a policy solution to this. To test this proposition, this study evaluates the mental health outcomes of a social prescribing intervention—C.O.P.E. (Capabili...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | SSM - Mental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000520 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849468252698181632 |
|---|---|
| author | Marcello Bertotti Isabel Farina Maria J. Marques Regina Alves Sonia Dias Sara Paternoster Anita Paza Emanuele Torri |
| author_facet | Marcello Bertotti Isabel Farina Maria J. Marques Regina Alves Sonia Dias Sara Paternoster Anita Paza Emanuele Torri |
| author_sort | Marcello Bertotti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) status is associated with psychological distress and suicidality. Social prescribing may offer a policy solution to this. To test this proposition, this study evaluates the mental health outcomes of a social prescribing intervention—C.O.P.E. (Capabilities, Opportunities, Places, and Engagement) project—on young people in a NEET situation in Italy and Portugal. Adopting a realist evaluation approach, this study explores how context and mechanisms interact to generate outcomes. A realist synthesis of NEET interventions and co-production with stakeholders helped to create a programme theory which was tested through a mixed-methods study, combining quantitative cohort data from 416 young people with qualitative interviews with 30 young people, 13 link workers, and 9 team members. The findings indicate significant improvements in mental wellbeing and reductions in psychological distress, particularly among those with clinical mental health issues. Qualitative insights emphasise the importance of trust between link workers and young people, highlighting flexibility, emotional support, and a holistic approach as key factors in fostering engagement. This led to the creation of three programme theories. One of these focuses on young people and is discussed in this article. The study concludes that despite some challenges related to sustainability, training and long-term impact, social prescribing can be an effective tool for supporting youth in a NEET situation, particularly those suffering clinical mental health issues. This paper contributes to the growing evidence supporting social prescribing as an approach to enhance mental health and social inclusion for youth in vulnerable situations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8abbeb269fd04ecaa7e4fdfc9ecf82a8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-5603 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM - Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-8abbeb269fd04ecaa7e4fdfc9ecf82a82025-08-20T03:25:54ZengElsevierSSM - Mental Health2666-56032025-06-01710044010.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100440Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and PortugalMarcello Bertotti0Isabel Farina1Maria J. Marques2Regina Alves3Sonia Dias4Sara Paternoster5Anita Paza6Emanuele Torri7Institute for Connected Communities, University of East London, Water Lane, London, E15 4LZ, UK; Corresponding author.Institute for Connected Communities, University of East London, Water Lane, London, E15 4LZ, UKNOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Centre, CHRC, REAL, CCAL, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, PortugalResearch Centre on Child Studies (CIEC), Institute of Education of University of Minho Braga, Portugal. Formerly NOVA National School of Public Health, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, PortugalNOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Centre, CHRC, REAL, CCAL, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, PortugalHealth Care Trust of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Via Alcide Degasperi 79, 38123, Trento, ItalyInstitute for Connected Communities, University of East London, Water Lane, London, E15 4LZ, UKHealth Care Trust of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Via Alcide Degasperi 79, 38123, Trento, ItalyNEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) status is associated with psychological distress and suicidality. Social prescribing may offer a policy solution to this. To test this proposition, this study evaluates the mental health outcomes of a social prescribing intervention—C.O.P.E. (Capabilities, Opportunities, Places, and Engagement) project—on young people in a NEET situation in Italy and Portugal. Adopting a realist evaluation approach, this study explores how context and mechanisms interact to generate outcomes. A realist synthesis of NEET interventions and co-production with stakeholders helped to create a programme theory which was tested through a mixed-methods study, combining quantitative cohort data from 416 young people with qualitative interviews with 30 young people, 13 link workers, and 9 team members. The findings indicate significant improvements in mental wellbeing and reductions in psychological distress, particularly among those with clinical mental health issues. Qualitative insights emphasise the importance of trust between link workers and young people, highlighting flexibility, emotional support, and a holistic approach as key factors in fostering engagement. This led to the creation of three programme theories. One of these focuses on young people and is discussed in this article. The study concludes that despite some challenges related to sustainability, training and long-term impact, social prescribing can be an effective tool for supporting youth in a NEET situation, particularly those suffering clinical mental health issues. This paper contributes to the growing evidence supporting social prescribing as an approach to enhance mental health and social inclusion for youth in vulnerable situations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000520Social prescribingNEETInterventionsMental healthMixed-methodsYoung people |
| spellingShingle | Marcello Bertotti Isabel Farina Maria J. Marques Regina Alves Sonia Dias Sara Paternoster Anita Paza Emanuele Torri Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and Portugal SSM - Mental Health Social prescribing NEET Interventions Mental health Mixed-methods Young people |
| title | Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and Portugal |
| title_full | Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and Portugal |
| title_fullStr | Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and Portugal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and Portugal |
| title_short | Social prescribing for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) young people: A realist evaluation of the C.O.P.E. project in Italy and Portugal |
| title_sort | social prescribing for not in employment education or training neet young people a realist evaluation of the c o p e project in italy and portugal |
| topic | Social prescribing NEET Interventions Mental health Mixed-methods Young people |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000520 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marcellobertotti socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal AT isabelfarina socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal AT mariajmarques socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal AT reginaalves socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal AT soniadias socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal AT sarapaternoster socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal AT anitapaza socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal AT emanueletorri socialprescribingfornotinemploymenteducationortrainingneetyoungpeoplearealistevaluationofthecopeprojectinitalyandportugal |