Objective: Young men are very reluctant to seek help for anxiety disorders. In particular, the factors that facilitate mental health help-seeking in adolescent males are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the barriers and facilitating factors to help-seeking behaviour for clinical anxiety in Australian adolescent males. Method: The views of 29 adolescent males, both with and without experience of clinical anxiety symptoms, were elicited using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using grounded theory. Results: Primary barriers to help-seeking included stigma (particularly in relation to social norms of masculinity), effort, limited awareness/knowledge of symptoms of anxiety and a sense of being 'confronted' by private emotions through help-seeking. Facilitating factors included increasing the accessibility of schoolbased mental health literacy programs and providing a wider range of formal and informal help-seeking options. Other facilitators related to amendments in how mental health information is presented and investments into high speed/low effort help-seeking options. A preliminary model of mental health help-seeking in adolescent males with clinical anxiety is presented. Conclusion: Adolescent males feel that they risk significant stigma by help-seeking for mental health problems but lack information as to the benefits or the experience of help seeking. A stepped approach to options for mental health support and information for this population should be evaluated. What is already known about this topicWhat this topic adds 1. The current investigation is one of the first to investigate help-seeking for anxiety disorders specifically in adolescent males. 2. This investigation identified barriers to help-seeking that included stigma (particularly in relation to social norms of masculinity), effort, limited awareness/ knowledge of symptoms of anxiety and a sense of being 'confronted' by private emotions through helpseeking. 3. This investigation also identified facilitating factors to help-seeking that included increasing the accessibility of school-based mental health literacy programs and providing a wider range of formal and informal helpseeking options. Other help-seeking facilitators related to how mental health information is presented and investments into high-speed/low-effort help-seeking options. 4. A preliminary model is proposed to illustrate how barriers and facilitating factors may influence different components of the help-seeking process.
Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) have been hypothesized to be associated with interpersonal problems. Furthermore, a stronger contention is that EMSs impact negatively on, or cause, interpersonal problems. The aims of this meta-analysis were (a) to assess the strength of the association between EMSs and interpersonal problems, (b) clarify which EMSs are most strongly associated with interpersonal problems, (c) examine any possible moderators on the relationship between EMSs and interpersonal problems, and (d) examine whether any empirical evidence exists supporting a causal relationship between EMSs and interpersonal problems. A comprehensive systematic literature search and meta-analysis were conducted using the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. A total of 49 empirical studies were reviewed investigating EMSs and interpersonal problems. EMSs were found to have a moderate positive association with interpersonal problems with different EMSs having small to moderate effect sizes. To date, there has been limited evidence supporting a causal effect of EMSs on interpersonal problems. Possible limitations and avenues for future research were discussed. K E Y W O R D S early maladaptive schema, interpersonal dysfunction, interpersonal problems, interpersonal relationships
Despite extensive evidence relating attachment dimensions to maladaptive interpersonal behaviours and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies, few studies have explored social anxiety in the context of adult attachment dimensions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether attachment-related anxiety and avoidance are associated with symptoms of social anxiety and whether cognitive emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal and suppression) play a role in the relationship between adult attachment and social anxiety. A sample of 253 adults (male n = 47, 18.6%; female n = 202, 79.8%; gender not disclosed n = 4, 1.6%) ranging in age from 18 to 74 years (M = 33.12, SD = 11.56) completed an online questionnaire that consisted of the Experience in Close Relationships–Revised Questionnaire (ECR-R); The Inventory of Interpersonal Situations Discomfort scale (IIS-D); and The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Results indicated that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance have a direct effect on indices of social anxiety symptomology. Reappraisal partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and social anxiety. However, the relationship between attachment avoidance and social anxiety was not mediated by the use of reappraisal and suppression. Findings of the study have implications for the development of clinical interventions targeting mediators of psychological distress associated with social anxiety.
Flying phobia is a highly prevalent anxiety disorder, which causes sufferers significant distress and life interference. The processes which maintain flying phobia remain poorly understood. A systematic search of the literature was performed to identify what research has been conducted into the processes which may be involved in the fear of flying and whether processes which are believed to maintain other anxiety disorder diagnoses have been investigated in flying phobia. The results of the literature review are presented and related to existing cognitive behavioral theory and research. The results indicate that little research has been conducted into a number of areas considered important in the wider cognitive behavioral literature on anxiety disorders: namely attention, mental imagery, memory, worry, and safety-seeking behaviors. The review proposes a hypothetical model, derived from cognitive behavioral theory, for the processes which may be involved in maintaining flying phobia, and considers a number of areas for future research.
Objective: Adolescent males are often reluctant to seek help for mental health problems. Computerised psychological treatment may be a more appealing method of psychological intervention for this population because it minimises many of the barriers to traditional treatment. However, it is not clear if current computerised mental health treatment programs both attract and engage adolescent males with anxiety disorders. A qualitative methodology was utilised to investigate adolescent males' attitudes to computerised mental health intervention generally and more specifically, computerised anxiety treatment programs. Method: The views of 29 adolescent males, both with and without experience of clinical anxiety symptoms, were elicited using semistructured interviews and focus groups. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using content analysis. Results: The major themes identified related to computerised help-seeking involving "risk," "effort" and "the need for a human connection." Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that a number of barriers exist in relation to adolescent males utilising computerised mental health interventions, such as unfamiliarity with this form of help, perceived control over decision-making, effort involved and concerns around confidentiality. However, the findings also suggest that an increased awareness of computerised mental health help-seeking, facilitated through schools, parents or social media, also has the potential to increase formal help-seeking in this population.
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