Background Transition-aged youth are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, yet they are one of the least likely demographic groups to seek help. Objective The aim of this study is to explore the influences on and patterns in help-seeking for mental health concerns among transition-aged youth who attend postsecondary schools in Canada. Methods A qualitative research design was used, involving 12 semistructured focus groups with transition-aged youth (17-29 years) who attended postsecondary schools in Canada. A thematic analysis was conducted to code the transcripts and develop themes. Results Four main themes and subthemes regarding the process and experience of help-seeking were generated: (1) the influence of formal service providers (accessibility and experiences), (2) the influence of social factors (system navigation and stigma), (3) the influence of health literacy (symptom recognition, acting on symptoms, digital tools and the internet, and mental health awareness campaigns), and (4) the influence of low-intensity sources of support, namely, self-help. Conclusions Transition-aged youth seek help for mental health problems in different ways. Despite efforts to improve access to mental health services, transition-aged youth continue to face barriers to accessing these services, especially formal sources of support. The factors identified in this study that either hinder or facilitate help-seeking have pragmatic implications for developing help-seeking interventions and delivering mental health services for this population. In addition to other facilitators, family physicians are an important resource in the help-seeking process. Furthermore, digital help-seeking tools have unique characteristics that may make them an important source of support for transition-aged youth.
BACKGROUND Transition-aged youth are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, yet they are one of the least likely demographic groups to seek help. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore influences on and patterns in help-seeking for mental health concerns among transition-aged youth who attend post-secondary school in Canada. METHODS A qualitative research design was used, involving 11 semi-structured focus groups with transition-aged youth (17–29 years) attending Canadian post-secondary schools. Thematic analysis was conducted to code the transcripts and develop themes. RESULTS Four main themes and sub-themes regarding the process and experience of help-seeking emerged: (1) the influence of formal service providers (accessibility; experiences); (2) the influence of social factors (system navigation; stigma); (3) the influence of health literacy (symptom recognition; acting on symptoms; digital tools and the internet; mental health awareness campaigns); and (4) the influence of low-intensity sources of support, namely self-help. CONCLUSIONS Transition-aged youth seek help for mental health problems in different ways. Despite efforts to improve access to mental health services, transition-aged youth continue to face barriers to accessing these services, especially formal sources of support. Factors identified in this study that either hinder or facilitate help-seeking have pragmatic implications for developing help-seeking interventions and delivering mental health services for this population. In addition to other facilitators, family physicians are an important resource in the help-seeking process. Moreover, digital help-seeking tools have unique characteristics that may make these tools an important source of support for transition-aged youth.
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