Community groups like Pokémon tournaments and Karate shown to help support those waiting for mental health support
The first large scale research into social prescribing for mental health has been released.
Pokemon tournaments and karate clubs helped children awaiting mental health treatment, according to a study said to be the first to demonstrate the benefits of so-called social prescribing for young people on waiting lists.
While researchers said such activities did not ease symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress, they did appear to help young people with their day-to-day functioning and resilience.
Social prescribing is described by the NHS as connecting people to activities, groups and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing.
While studies have been done previously on the impacts on adults, researchers from University College London (UCL) said their study is the first carried out “at scale” within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Activities offered to people taking part in the study included karate clubs, art classes, Pokemon tournaments, book and nature clubs.
Senior author Professor Daisy Fancourt said: “This is the first time social prescribing has been implemented at scale within CAMHS and rigorously tested and the first to demonstrate it has a benefit for young people on waiting lists.”
A report by the Children’s Commissioner last week said more than a million children – around one in 10 – in England were referred for, awaiting or getting treatment from mental health services in the 12 months to March 2025.
The data analysis was said to show the “sheer scale of distress young people are facing today”, with Dame Rachel de Souza adding she is “in no doubt that we are facing a crisis in young people’s mental health”.
The UCL study, which has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, involved 558 young people aged 11–18.
Researchers said this was a “relatively large sample for a trial of this kind and is one of the key strengths of the study compared with previous studies”, explaining that it was conducted across 11 sites in England, to ensure variation in geography, population characteristics, and services offered.
All 558 young people had been referred to CAMHS. Of these, 333 were given social prescribing, which involved on average five sessions for each young person with a so-called link worker.
As well as activity clubs, sessions included the link workers helping participants plan days out with friends.
Researchers said young people in the social prescribing group experienced “improvements in psychosocial functioning and resilience”.
Their paper stated; “Relative to usual waitlist care, receipt of SP (social prescribing) was associated with reductions in total difficulties, driven by improvements in conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems, alongside increased prosocial behaviour.
“Resilience also improved across domains related to community participation, self-esteem, and problem-solving.”
Prof Fancourt said: “Social prescribing should not be seen as a substitute for evidence-based psychological treatments.
“Instead, the findings suggest its value for young people on waiting lists for mental health services is in supporting day-to-day functioning and strengthening protective factors during this high-risk waiting period. Instead of merely ‘waiting’, young people and their families can engage in activities that may help them be more ‘treatment ready’ when they reach the end of the waiting list.”
One young person in the trial said they were “a lot more open to discussing” their feelings after the social prescribing, while another said their link worker “really helped me get back into social groups and social settings, so I was more comfortable around people”.
Lead author Daniel Hayes, who is a principal research fellow in social science at UCL, said: “Previous research from our team has shown that many young people and families find waiting for mental health services difficult and often feel they lack support during that period.
“Our new study suggests that social prescribing may provide a valuable source of support while young people are waiting, helping them strengthen relationships, build resilience and improve day-to-day functioning.”
Last year, UCL launched a trial involving schoolchildren being “prescribed” activities including gardening, fishing and going to museums as part of research aiming to tackle loneliness among young people.
The four-year UK-wide project – known as the Increasing Adolescent social and Community support (Inact) research programme – involving nine to 13-year-olds, is tracking how effective social prescribing is in reducing feelings of isolation, mental health difficulties, improving school attendance and how cost effective it is.
Initial findings from Inact are expected as soon as the end of this year, researchers said.