TY - JOUR
AU - X. Ding
AU - V. Dao
AU - A. Raimundo
AU - S. Nanji
AU - C. Mulligan
AU - J. Schmidt
AU - N. Parde
AU - B. Sakakibara
AU - L. Holsti
AU - S. Barbic
A1 - 
AB - PURPOSE: Youth mental health and substance use issues are rising worldwide, along with barriers to timely, culturally, and developmentally appropriate care. Integrated Youth Services (IYS) offer early intervention through in-person, virtual, and hybrid options. The objectives of this study were to: (1) compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of youth accessing three types of service modalities (virtual, in-person, and hybrid), and (2) understand the service utilization patterns (number and frequency of visits, repeated visits rate, new registrations) among an IYS youth cohort. METHODS: We reviewed records of 41,034 youth aged 12-24 years who accessed an IYS initiative in British Columbia, Canada, from April 2020 to November 2023. Data included demographic and health surveys completed by youth when they registered for services and service records after session completion. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis methods were used for analysis. RESULTS: Youth accessed IYS through virtual, in-person, and hybrid services. Younger youth (12-14 years) preferred in-person care, while older youth (21-24 years) mostly used virtual services. Virtual users reported higher distress and poorer overall health. Despite being introduced during COVID-19, virtual services remained in use throughout the study. Hybrid users had the highest repeat visit rates. Twenty five percent of all youth said that they would have gone nowhere if it were not for the IYS initiative. DISCUSSION: Findings underscore the importance of diverse IYS delivery models. Decision makers should support hybrid models, maintain strong in-person care, and expand virtual services to improve accessibility and outcomes for youth.
AD - Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.; Foundry, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.; Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Foundry, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.; Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Natural Language Processing Laboratory, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.; Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Southern Medical Program, UBC-Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.; Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Foundry, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: skye.barbic@ubc.ca.
AN - 41222521
BT - J Adolesc Health
C5 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities
CP - 6
DA - 06/2026
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.09.013
DP - NLM
ET - 20251112
IS - 6
JF - J Adolesc Health
LA - eng
N2 - PURPOSE: Youth mental health and substance use issues are rising worldwide, along with barriers to timely, culturally, and developmentally appropriate care. Integrated Youth Services (IYS) offer early intervention through in-person, virtual, and hybrid options. The objectives of this study were to: (1) compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of youth accessing three types of service modalities (virtual, in-person, and hybrid), and (2) understand the service utilization patterns (number and frequency of visits, repeated visits rate, new registrations) among an IYS youth cohort. METHODS: We reviewed records of 41,034 youth aged 12-24 years who accessed an IYS initiative in British Columbia, Canada, from April 2020 to November 2023. Data included demographic and health surveys completed by youth when they registered for services and service records after session completion. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis methods were used for analysis. RESULTS: Youth accessed IYS through virtual, in-person, and hybrid services. Younger youth (12-14 years) preferred in-person care, while older youth (21-24 years) mostly used virtual services. Virtual users reported higher distress and poorer overall health. Despite being introduced during COVID-19, virtual services remained in use throughout the study. Hybrid users had the highest repeat visit rates. Twenty five percent of all youth said that they would have gone nowhere if it were not for the IYS initiative. DISCUSSION: Findings underscore the importance of diverse IYS delivery models. Decision makers should support hybrid models, maintain strong in-person care, and expand virtual services to improve accessibility and outcomes for youth.
PY - 2026
SN - 1054-139x
SP - 906
EP - 915+
ST - Virtual, In-Person and Hybrid Utilization Patterns of Youth Accessing Integrated Youth Services: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Youth Ages 12-24
T1 - Virtual, In-Person and Hybrid Utilization Patterns of Youth Accessing Integrated Youth Services: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Youth Ages 12-24
T2 - J Adolesc Health
TI - Virtual, In-Person and Hybrid Utilization Patterns of Youth Accessing Integrated Youth Services: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Youth Ages 12-24
U1 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities
U3 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.09.013
VL - 78
VO - 1054-139x
Y1 - 2026
ER -