Yasmina Kattou
The mental health of young people has deteriorated since the health crisis. To try to better understand the reasons, Inserm is launching a study on the mental health of 11-24 year olds. With the “Mentalo” application, young people will be able to answer questionnaires anonymously and help research.
The mental health of the French has particularly deteriorated since the health crisis, particularly among the youngest. Suicide attempts are on the rise, especially among young women, as revealed by a Public Health France study. To help young people, we need to understand them better. To do this, Inserm has launched a vast national study on the mental health of 11-24 year olds. With this survey entitled “Mentalo”, it is the first time that young people will be followed for such a long time.
For a year, young people aged 11 to 24 answer anonymously, from their smartphone or computer, questions about their sleep or what makes them happy. And unlike a traditional study, everything is done in privacy on the “Mentalo” site. “The advantage of doing this on an application is that they do it when they want and they say what they want. They don’t necessarily have anyone in front of them,” explains Karine Chevreul, project manager. and research director at Inserm. “And then overall, they will also be able to provide us with several questionnaires whenever they want.”
Rewards planned for participants
The objective is to obtain responses from 50,000 young people by 2025: “the more participants there are, the more results we will have that we can use as quickly as possible in the development of our promotional interventions or prevention so that they are as relevant as possible and best meet their needs”, continues Karine Chevreul.
And to encourage them to answer the eight questionnaires, rewards are planned such as access to online books, matches or even films. Young people can register on the “Mentalo” website until May 2025.