Peer-reviewed journals
Published:
Authors: Raquel Teixeira, Cláudia de Freitas, Liuska Sanna, Eleonora Prina, Giulia Turrini, Amber S. Brizar, Cătălin Gherdan, Evaldas Kazlauskas, Austėja Dumarkaitė, Henrik Wasmus, Leonie Fleck, Ulrich Reininghaus, Melanie Mack, Chiara Scarampi, Maritta Välimäki, Maija Satamo & Wietse A. Tol
Abstract: Co-creation has emerged as a crucial strategy for addressing complex public health challenges, including promotion and prevention of mental health concerns. While the evidence base for effective interventions continues to grow, significant gaps remain in their implementation and integration into real-world settings. Co-creation offers a valuable tool for strengthening mental health promotion strategies, ensuring that interventions are evidence-based, contextually relevant, culturally sensitive, sustainable and acceptable to those directly affected. However, there is a paucity of studies examining the evaluation of co-creation research, particularly regarding how participatory methods foster adaptation and influence outcomes and long-term sustainability. This protocol outlines a study designed to implement, evaluate and strengthen co-creation methodologies through a participatory and formative evaluation approach.
Published: 29 January 2025
Authors: Melanie Mack, Chiara Scarampi, Emilie Joly-Burra, Sascha Zuber, Cláudia de Freitas, Raquel Teixeira, & Matthias Kliegel
Abstract: This desk review evaluates the current state of interventions for mental health and cognitive functioning among older adults in Switzerland focusing on the features of these interventions as well as on Swiss-specific contextual factors that contribute to vulnerability and stigma. The goal is to guide the development of effective, evidence-based interventions and policies to ensure that older adults in Switzerland not only live longer but also enjoy better mental health and cognitive functioning. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus for eligible studies from January 2018 until October 2024. We included studies investigating interventions targeting mental health and/or cognitive functioning in older adults living in Switzerland. In addition, we searched for gray literature reporting on cognitive and mental health interventions, as well as mental health, cognitive functioning, stigmatization, and stigma mitigation strategies in the Swiss context. Core features of the interventions (intervention type, efficacy, delivery modes, recruitment, stigma-related aspects) and target populations (groups at risk of vulnerability, stigma sources) were extracted, descriptively summarized, and discussed. A comprehensive search resulted in 1200 records, with 26 peer-reviewed articles and five gray literature reports meeting the inclusion criteria. The findings suggest that individualized multidomain interventions, including behavioral change techniques and multifaceted stigma-mitigating strategies, might be required to sustainably improve mental health in older adults.
ADVANCE Consortium. (2024).Mental Health in a Changing Europe: Policy Brief. https://zenodo.org/records/15356055
de Freitas, C., & Teixeira, R. M. (2024). ADVANCE Intervention Scenarios. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13375413
Mack, M., Scarampi, C., Joly-Burra, E., Zuber, S., & Kliegel, M. (2024). Pre-print: Informing optimal strategies for public health interventions targeting mental health and cognitive functioning for older adults in Switzerland: A co-creation guided desk review. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10842616
Mack, M., Scarampi, C., Joly-Burra, E., Zuber, S., & Kliegel, M. (2024). Working paper: Informing optimal strategies for public health interventions targeting mental health and cognitive functioning for older adults in Switzerland: A co-creation guided desk review. Lives Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.12682/lives.2296-1658.2024.103
Wasmus, H. (2024, February 6). ADVANCE WP7 - Presentation: Vulnerability - Youth affected by climate change. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10623955
Brizar, A. (2024, February 22). ADVANCE WP7 - Presentation: Vulnerability and mental health risks in the Dutch workplace. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10692113
Teixeira, R. M. (2024, March 15). ADVANCE WP7 - Presentation: Vulnerability from a Public Health standpoint. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10821726
Prina, E. (2024, March 18). ADVANCE WP7 - Presentation: Understanding Vulnerability Among Migrant Populations: Insights from European Projects. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10830197
Kliegel, M., & Mack, M. (2024, March 18). ADVANCE WP7 - Presentation: Vulnerability in older age with a focus on the Swiss population. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10830660
Aye, T. T., Nguyen, H. T., & De Allegri, M. (2025, January 8). ADVANCE WP7 - Presentation: Vulnerability in economics and economic evaluation. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14616790
Conferences and symposiums
de Freitas, C., Teixeira, R., Tol, W., & Sanna, L. (2024, August 30). Co-creation in mental health promotion research: Anticipating risks and tensions, nurturing trust and cultivating transformative change [Conference presentation]. ESA International Conference.
de Freitas, C., Teixeira, R., Tol, W., & Sanna, L. (2024, November 12-15). Mental health promotion research in co-creation: Lessons from a multisite study in six countries [Conference presentation]. EUPHA International Conference. https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/34/Supplement_3/ckae144.971/7844004
Wasmus, H. (2024, September 8-13). Co-development of an intervention scenario for young people experiencing climate change-related distress [Conference presentation]. Gesundheit gemeinsam.
Wasmus, H. (2024, November 30). Navigating climate change distress: Insights into momentary experiences and intervention needs [Conference presentation]. DGPPN International Conference.
Gherdan, C., & Brizar, A. (2024, October 3). Mental health programs [Conference presentation]. Amsterdam Leadership Lab - Annual Symposium.
Brizar, A., Gherdan, C., van Vugt, M., Feenstra, S., Witteveen, A., & Sijbrandij, M. (2024, November 29). Identifying and addressing groups of employees vulnerable to work-related mental health problems: Co-creation in intervention research [Conference presentation]. WAOP Conference.
de Freitas, C. (2024, October 9). Keynote: Co-creation in mental health research: challenges and affordances. 16th Symposium on Mental Health Research. Sant Joan Déu Research Institute
Teixeira, R., Tol, W.A., Sanna, L. Prina, E., Thomsen, C., Castaner, M.M., de Freitas, C (2024, November 12-15). Co-creating stigma-prevention strategies for mental health interventions with migrant populations [Conference presentation]. EUPHA International Conference. https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/34/Supplement_3/ckae144.951/7844545
Brizar, A., Gherdan, C., & van Vugt, M. (2024, November). Identifying and addressing groups of employees vulnerable to work-related mental health problems: Co-creation in intervention research. Paper presented at the WAOP Conference.
Satamo, M., & Välimäki, M. (2025, May). Digital competencies and continuing education for health care professionals supporting psychosocial self-help interventions in Finland. Paper presented at the NHEPT Conference.
Brizar, A., Gherdan, C., & van Vugt, M. (2025, May). Empowering managers to address mental health at work: Pilot of WHO’s Manager Training in the Netherlands. Paper presented at the EAWOP Conference.
Edelhoff, H., Fleck, L., & Reininghaus, U. (2025, May). CliMACT: A hybrid digital intervention for mental health promotion in young people with climate change-related distress. Paper presented at the SAA Conference.
Kairyte, A., de Freitas, C. S. S., & Kazlauskas, E. (2025, June). Youth mental health in Lithuania: How we should move forward?. Paper presented at the ESTSS Conference.