Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health research "MI VEDETE?" project: a value-based and participatory approach to adolescent mental health in Italian schools.
De Filippis S, Trovini G, et al. • BMC psychology • 2026
The 'MI VEDETE?' project found significant differences between adolescents' self-reported emotional distress and adults' perceptions of adolescent mental health, with students reporting high levels of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, isolation, and distress while parents and teachers frequently perceived inferior prevalence rates and differently attributed the causes of these conditions.
Key Findings
Results
Students reported high levels of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, isolation, and distress across multiple domains of mental health.
The survey assessed emotional, cognitive, behavioural, physical, sleep-related, and risk-related dimensions of adolescent mental distress.
A total of 2,139 survey responses were collected across different groups (students, parents, and teachers).
The project was conducted between 2024 and 2025 across three Italian regions: Lombardy, Lazio, and Puglia.
Students' self-reported distress was notably higher than what adults perceived or attributed to them.
Results
Parents and teachers frequently perceived lower prevalence rates of adolescent mental distress than students themselves reported.
Both parents and teachers underestimated the rates of emotional and psychological distress compared to students' self-reports.
Adults also differed from students in attributing the causes of these mental health conditions.
The discrepancy between adolescent self-report and adult perception was described as 'marked'.
This perception gap was identified across all three Italian regions studied.
Methods
The project used a mixed-methods participatory approach combining surveys, interviews, awareness events, and co-design workshops.
Six school-based 'Awareness Day' events were facilitated by psychiatrists.
96 semi-structured interviews, described as 'anthropological conversations,' were conducted with students, parents, and teachers.
Six co-design workshops were held involving teachers, psychologists, sociologists, and local experts.
The large-scale survey collected 2,139 responses across different participant groups.
A value-based and participatory framework was used, co-designing solutions with upper secondary school students, families, and educators.
Conclusions
The findings underscore the need for educational initiatives specifically designed to improve parents' and teachers' ability to recognise early signs of psychological distress in young people.
Enhancing adults' observational and interpretive capacity regarding adolescents' emotional needs was identified as a key intervention target.
Improved adult recognition of distress was linked to enabling timely intervention and activating targeted support pathways.
The project framed better adult awareness as a mechanism for preventing mental health deterioration in adolescents.
The co-design approach involved school communities in developing these targeted educational solutions.
Methods
The project was conducted across three Italian regions using a school-based framework targeting upper secondary school students.
Regions included Lombardy, Lazio, and Puglia, representing geographic diversity across northern, central, and southern Italy.
The school environment was the primary setting for all project activities.
The study period spanned 2024 to 2025.
Multiple stakeholder groups — students, families, and educators — were engaged throughout the project design and data collection phases.
What This Means
This research suggests that there is a substantial gap between how Italian teenagers experience their own mental health and how the adults around them — parents and teachers — perceive it. In a large project called 'MI VEDETE?' ('Do You See Me?'), researchers surveyed over 2,100 students, parents, and teachers across three Italian regions and found that adolescents reported significantly higher levels of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, isolation, and distress than adults recognized or acknowledged. Adults not only underestimated how much young people were struggling, but also tended to attribute the causes of distress differently than the students themselves did.
The project used a rich combination of methods to explore this issue, including school awareness events run by psychiatrists, nearly 100 in-depth interviews, co-design workshops with educators and mental health professionals, and a large survey. This participatory approach was designed to involve the school community — not just measure it — in understanding and addressing adolescent mental health challenges.
This research suggests that one important step in improving adolescent mental health outcomes is helping adults — particularly parents and teachers — become better at noticing and interpreting signs of emotional distress in young people. When adults are more attuned to what adolescents are experiencing, they may be better positioned to connect young people with support earlier, potentially preventing mental health problems from worsening over time.
De Filippis S, Trovini G, Albanesi G, Lombardozzi G, Vento A, Reggiardo G, et al.. (2026). Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health research "MI VEDETE?" project: a value-based and participatory approach to adolescent mental health in Italian schools.. BMC psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05395-4