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.

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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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Background The adult attachment dimension of attachment anxiety has been demonstrated to be associated with a variety of anxiety symptomology, including worry, intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and reassurance seeking. A variety of research has indicated that IU is associated with level of worry and reassurance seeking. The relationships between attachment anxiety, worry, IU and threat‐related reassurance seeking have not been subject to investigation. The present article reports the results of an investigation of these variables within a community sample. Methods Three‐hundred and twenty‐eight participants were recruited to complete an online survey in which participants completed the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale‐Revised, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and the Threat‐related Reassurance Seeking Scale. Results Attachment anxiety, IU and worry were correlated with threat‐related reassurance seeking. Consistent with previous research, IU was found to mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and worry. IU and worry were found to be serial‐multiple mediators in the relationship between attachment anxiety and threat‐related reassurance seeking. Conclusions The results of the study suggest IU is likely to play a key role in the relationship between attachment anxiety and worry, as well as the relationship between attachment anxiety and threat‐related reassurance seeking.

Background and Objectives: Many individuals with anxiety difficulties present with co-occurring anxiety disorders yet no evidence-based guidelines exist on how to treat this presentation. The present study investigated how Australian psychologists approach treating cooccurring anxiety disorders. Methods: A total of 169 psychologists practicing in Australia undertook an online survey consisting of open-questions relating to the treatment of DSM-IV anxiety disorder diagnoses and reported practice in relation to two clinical vignettes. Participant responses were coded using a directed content analysis approach. Results: The majority of psychologists reported utilising cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) interventions in the treatment of single and cooccurring anxiety disorders but not specific evidence-based treatment guides or protocols. The majority of the psychologists surveyed reported that they adopt a transdiagnostic approach to addressing co-occurring anxiety disorders. Conclusions: Psychologists typically do not follow a specific treatment guide in the treatment of anxiety disorders and judge a transdiagnostic approach incorporating CBT techniques as the best way to treat comorbidity. More effort may be needed to disseminate evidence-based interventions for anxiety disorders and for authors of empirically supported treatments to provide clear guidelines regarding treating cooccurring anxiety disorders.

Objective According to the intolerance of uncertainty model (IUM) of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), four components contribute to the development and maintenance of worry in GAD. They are intolerance of uncertainty (IU), positive beliefs about worry, negative problem orientation, and cognitive avoidance. Recent studies report that the relationship between IU and worry is mediated by positive beliefs about worry and negative problem orientation. The present study examined whether these mediation relationships emerge when the two subtypes of IU, prospective and inhibitory IU, are considered separately. Method A convenience sample of 160 members of the Australian public completed an online questionnaire assessing each IUM component, worry, and depression. Results Positive beliefs about worry and negative problem orientation mediated the relationship between IU and worry. Only positive beliefs about worry mediated the relationship between prospective IU and worry, while only negative problem orientation mediated the relationship between inhibitory IU and worry. Conclusions The results may imply that the two IU subtypes influence worry via differing pathways. The findings have implications for treatments targeting components of the IUM in individuals with GAD and other anxiety disorders.

Challenging parenting behaviour (CPB) refers to parental encouragement of behaviours where children push their own limits through engaging them engage in safe risks, such as rough-and-tumble play (Bögels & Phares, 2008). Preliminary evidence suggests that CPB reduces the risk of child anxiety however, little is known about the relationship between CPB and specific forms of anxiety disorders and the factors that influence this relationship. The present study aims to examine current maternal and paternal CPB in relation to symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) in emerging adulthood, and to identify whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and cognitive avoidance (CA) sequentially mediate this relationship. A sample of 190 UK-based adults (aged 18–25) completed a battery of online self-report measures. Greater maternal CPB, but not paternal CPB, was found to predict lower symptoms of SAD, but not GAD. IU and CA did not sequentially mediate the relationship between CPB and symptoms of GAD or SAD. This study suggests that CPB may be associated with certain forms of anxiety disorders such as SAD, but further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms between CPB and anxiety in young people.