Thursday, November 20, 2025
Increased mental resilience among young people is a widely shared societal desire. During the Medical Delta Café earlier this month, four experts and the public shared their insights on addiction, social-emotional skills, resilience, and the role of community.
When young people are more resilient, this can reduce the burden on mental healthcare, improve academic performance, and reduce the risk of problematic substance use. Until now, responsibility for resilience has primarily rested with the individual, but a recent report from the Raad voor Volksgezondheid en Samenleving warns that we have gone too far in this individualization of mental health.
The Medical Delta Café on November 6th in Rotterdam focused on questions such as: should we still invest resilience individually, or should we structurally embed it within society?
Alcohol and young people
Prof. Dr. Janna Cousijn, Professor of Addiction Risk & Resilience at Erasmus University Rotterdam, begins her presentation with a playful yet telling gesture: she opens a beer. "What does this do to you?" she asks with a smile. "It might feel inappropriate, but at the same time, some people think: it's four o'clock... maybe I'm in the mood too." With this, she illustrates how commonplace alcohol is in the Netherlands. "It's instilled in us from a young age. From a young age, we see our parents drinking. We normalize it together."
Although addiction is often seen as a chronic brain disease, Cousijn emphasizes that social factors are at least as decisive. Young people with a strong social network have a much better prognosis than those who are lonely. Therefore, her research focuses on understanding social sensitivity, learning behavior, and resilience within groups of young people.
In a conversation with moderator Sanne de Vries, she emphasizes the role of parents. "They have much more influence than they realize. Normalizing alcohol at home doesn't ensure safe drinking, but actually leads to more drinking." That's why she advocates for clear boundaries and open conversations: "Set boundaries, but make sure young people feel comfortable approaching you."
Normalizing alcohol at home doesn't ensure safe drinking, but actually leads to more drinking.
Social-emotional skills as a foundation
"In class, we're asking for project ideas. Sara has a good plan, but when she tried to raise her hand, she got nervous. She didn't raise her hand. Later, she heard her classmates suggest the same idea, and the class responded enthusiastically. Sara nodded along but felt stupid for not having dared to share her idea." Dr. Ilona Schouwenaars, a researcher at Leiden University of Applied Sciences, opens with a relatable example.
According to Schouwenaars, this demonstrates how everyday choices are determined by social-emotional skills: "Daring to speak up, maintaining friendships, saying no, or asking for help: it seems obvious, but it isn't."
She distinguishes five clusters: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. "Self-awareness is recognizing what you're feeling; self-management is guiding your behavior," she explains. These basic skills, she explains, determine how young people behave in the classroom and in life.
Research shows that educational programs that strengthen these skills show clear effects. "Children gain more confidence, are better able to regulate their emotions, and are more likely to express themselves." Problem behavior also decreases and academic performance improves. "In Sara's example, she would then raise her hand," says Schouwenaars.
Her message is clear: "Young people don't just learn at school; they live there too. That's why social-emotional development belongs in the curriculum just as much as math and language."
Not just one young person, but different patterns of well-being
Dr. Yara Toenders, a Clinical Psychology researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam, presented insights from a multi-year study on the well-being of young people in Rotterdam, conducted during and after the coronavirus pandemic. The findings emphasize that it's not about "the young people," but that, according to Toenders, "there are enormous differences between different young people."
Talking about it, doing things together, taking rest, and finding meaning.
The data reveals four groups. The 'average stability' and 'low stability' groups are the largest, showing that many young people were actually doing quite well during the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, there was a group that was clearly negatively affected by the pandemic but showed resilience over time. "Not all young people are affected by such a situation in the same way," says Toenders. "Some are more vulnerable, and that means young people also need different things."
In the PraatPower project, her team investigates how young people formulate their own solutions for mental health. These solutions fall into three domains: mental, social, and physical well-being. For mental well-being, young people mentioned, for example, "talking about it, doing things together, taking rest, and finding meaning." Toenders concludes: "There's no such thing as a single solution. Young people combine strategies and need support from multiple systems, and schools play an important role in this."
Community as a response to performance pressure and loneliness
How does this work in daily practice? Michiel Steenwinkel of the youth organization Netwerk Nieuw Rotterdam explained. "Our basic principle is simple: give vulnerable young people a role in society, and they discover their own value and meaning for others." From Netwerk Nieuw Rotterdam, young people walk with lonely elderly people, organize activities on asylum seeker center boats, or do crafts with people with dementia. "These are small interventions, but they have a big impact," Steenwinkel emphasized.
He linked these experiences to previous speakers: a sense of belonging proves crucial. "For some young people, the clubhouse is literally the only place they can share their story. Many young people never sit down with anyone anymore," he explained. That's why the club organizes regular mealtimes, theme months, and group activities focused on connection and meaning.
We see a reduction in anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
Steenwinkel emphasized that these communities can also reduce the burden on healthcare systems.
"We're seeing a reduction in anxiety, depression, and loneliness. It complements professional support, or perhaps even the other way around: professional support complements these actions," he said. By involving young people and letting them feel they matter, they flourish, develop social skills, and form meaningful connections.
Panel discussion: where does responsibility lie?
The café concluded with a broad discussion about the role of professionals, schools, and society in the mental health of young people. Medical Delta chair Prof. Dr. Sanne de Vries opened the discussion: "Do the teachers, educational staff, and youth workers we train have the right knowledge and skills to help young people?" Michiel Steenwinkel responded: "If you're a teacher at a mbo and you also have to solve young people's mental health problems, that's a significant undertaking." Ilona Schouwenaars emphasized: "A teacher is not a psychologist, but they can contribute by systematically teaching social-emotional skills."
Performance pressure and social media were also discussed. "Performance pressure has tripled in the past twenty years," stated Yara Toenders. "Not everyone experiences this, but vulnerable young people do." One attendee added: "It's not just about academic performance, but also about a great Instagram post or leisure time that has to make an impression." Steenwinkel agreed: "Social media really has an impact on that. Young people feel constant pressure to perform."
Finally, participants discussed the role of policy and science. A question from the audience was: "How much research is needed to prove that these interventions work?" Steenwinkel replied: "Without scientific substantiation, funding remains uncertain: we need evidence for policymakers."
Foto's: Medical Delta / Frank de Roo
