Mental well-being of youth
The mental health of young people is under increasing pressure. Healthy Start works together with young people, their direct environment and policymakers on preventive strategies for a mentally resilient foundation for the current generation of young people.
Universal school interventions are often seen as a possible solution, because schools reach almost all adolescents and young people themselves indicate that they want to learn about mental health at school. Yet, it remains unclear which approaches truly fit the developmental needs of young people, and it appears that “one-size-fits-all” strategies are not equally effective for everyone.
Our ambition is to identify and strengthen the conditions that promote resilience in adolescence and early adulthood. Through various research methods, from brain research to youth participation, we map out what mental well-being means for young people themselves and what they need in order to flourish. We investigate promising resilience factors, such as the influence of teachers and role models, and explore how digital tools and detection technologies can play a role. By connecting insights from schools, higher education, youth workers and policymakers, we strive to develop preventive strategies that contribute to creating a mentally resilient generation.
Our work focuses on three key areas:
- Youth participation: young people are actively involved in research so that programs align with their experiences and needs.
- System solutions: interventions focus not only on the individual, but also on the systems (school, family, digital environment) in which young people function, so that resilience is strengthened in context.
- Positive, resilience-based approach: instead of focusing on mental problems, we focus on positive factors that can make young people strong and resilient.
*In collaboration with the Netherlands Youth Institute (Nederlands Jeugdinstituut) and MIND Us, and published in Jeugd in Ontwikkeling.
Ongoing projects
Resources
Scientific publications
- MacSweeney, N., Toenders, Y.J. & Tamnes, C.K. Neuroimaging insights into adolescent depression risk and development. Mental Health 3, 772–779 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00453-z [Link]
- Toenders, Y. J., Crone, E., Muetzel, R., Achterberg, M., Bakkali, A., van den Bedem, N., Borkhuis, E., Figueroa, C., Van der Hallen, R., Harrewijn, A., Jansen, P., Schaap, J., Tempelaar, W., de Veld, D., & Remmerswaal, D. (2025). A Healthy Start: Een Mentaal Gezonde Basis voor de Huidige Generatie Jongeren.Jeugd in Ontwikkeling . https://doi.org/10.54447/JiO.19550 [Link]
- Pre-print – Toenders, Y., Green, K., Brinke, L. t., Sweijen, S., van de Groep, S., Fakkel, M., … Crone, E. (2024, September 13). One size does not fit all: Resilient and recovering adolescent mood trajectories during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/a6tx2 [Link]
Media
Core Team
Daniëlle Remmerswaal (EUR), Ryan Muetzel (Erasmus MC), Yara Toenders (EUR), Eva Borkhuis (EUR), Ruth van der Hallen (EUR), Michelle Achterberg (EUR), Anita Harrewijn (EUR), Wanda Tempelaar (Erasmus MC), Neeltje van den Bedem (NJI), Carolina Figuera (TUD), Eveline Crone (EUR), Pauline Jansen (EUR), Amine Bakkali (MIND US), Julian Schaap (EUR), Robin Smits (EUR), Coen Koevoet (EUR) en Marinka van Kampen (EUR)
For more information please contact:
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Publication
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Event
Opening of a new Convergence lab
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Event
Interactive focus groups for youth about mental health
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Award
KNAW Early Career Award 2025
Yara Toenders receives the KNAW Award
Publication
Position paper
Joining forces to support young people’s mental wellbeing
Fellowship
Harkness Fellowship 2025-2026
Caroline Figueroa is Harkness Fellow
Event
MIND Us Studenttour
Talking to young people about mental health
Onderwijs
Wat gebeurt er in mijn hoofd?
Online lessons for primary education about mental health and the brain
Appointments
Scientific advisory board MIND Us
Eveline Crone and Yara Toenders have been appointed chair and secretary, respectively, of the Scientific Advisory Board (WAR) of the MIND Us Foundation.
Podcast
(Re)Searching a Healthy Start
In this podcast, researchers from Healthy Start and their social partners discuss our ambitions.
Evenement
TU Delft Health College
Concerns about young people’s mental wellbeing
Interview
The story of van Daniëlle Remmerswaal
‘How can we ensure that young people are better equipped to deal with setbacks in life?’
Interview
Het verhaal van Michelle Achterberg
‘How can we make young people more resilient to outside influences and improve their mental health?’
Partners
Alles oke?
Arizona State University
Cult North
De Geneeskundestudent
De Kindertelefoon
Gemeente Rotterdam
GGD West-brabant
Gro-up
Haaglanden MC
Insula College
Jong JGZ
KU Leuven
Nederlands Jeugdinstituut
NVVS
Offlimits
Ombudsman Rotterdam Rijmond
Public school De Tandem
Popunie
Rutgers
SEKSO
Stichting Jeugdwerk
Stichting Me and Society
Stichting Vreedzaam
SWN
Talent Hub
Trimbos Instituut
University of Amsterdam
Wetenschapsknooppunt
Stichting Life Goals Nederlands
MIND Us
NJR
