The project is a collaboration between Umeå University, Region Västerbotten and Region Norrbotten. The researchers are working to develop online therapy opportunities for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, for children and young people in rural areas.
The goal is to make care for PTSD more accessible and equitable. At present, there are long distances to get the right care for young people. In inland Västerbotten there are two youth clinics, in Vilhelmina and Lycksele. This can mean a journey time of up to three hours one way for some young people.
"It's not good and close care for our rural youth," says Linda Wallin, doctoral student at Umeå University who is responsible for the project.
"Serious situation"
The researchers in the project assume that PTSD is underdiagnosed, especially among young people from rural areas. This is because young people in rural areas do not seek care for mental illness to the same extent as others.
"Someone who grew up in a small community is often characterized by a piece-by-mix norm when it comes to mental illness. You are used to managing yourself a lot, says Linda Wallin.
Young people can influence
The project will run until 2027. In addition to increased accessibility, the researchers also hope to be able to improve parts of the therapy's content by getting young people to participate in various studies within the framework of the project.
"It will influence their ideas for what a therapy should look like," says Inga Dennhag, associate professor and senior lecturer at Umeå University.
In the clip above, she talks about the purpose of the project and what the future therapy could look like.