Connecting Research with Policy and Practice in Ontario: Creating a Common Understanding of Youth Development Introduction

Abstract

Challenges to mental health at all stages of the lifespan are common across the globe (Collins et al., 2011). Researchers, service providers, and policy makers have identified adolescence and young adulthood as key developmental periods in which the influence of mental health issues in adulthood can be prevented or reduced. These early developmental periods are characterized by great growth in the biological, psychological, and social spheres. For example, social, emotional, and cognitive skills that lay the foundation for positive outcomes in adulthood, including mental well-being, employment success, and active citizenship, develop during these periods.