Help-Seeking Behaviors of Transition-Aged Youth for Mental Health Concerns: Qualitative Study

Stunden, Chelsea; Zasada, Julie; VanHeerwaarden, Nicole; Hollenberg, Elisa; Abi-Jaoudé, Alexxa; Chaim, Gloria; Cleverley, Kristin; Henderson, Joanna; Johnson, Andrew; Levinson, Andrea; Lo, Brian; Robb, Janine; Shi, Jenny; Voineskos, Aristotle N.; Wiljer, David

doi:10.2196/18514

Cited by 34 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…They are often reluctant to seek professional help because of their sense of shame and tendency toward self-reliance [ 8 ]. The method of getting help based on a network provides a way to overcome these obstacles [ 43 - 45 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multipurpose Mobile Apps for Mental Health in Chinese App Stores: Content Analysis and Quality Evaluation

Wu¹,

Lin²,

Li³

et al. 2022

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Mental disorders impose varying degrees of burden on patients and their surroundings. However, people are reluctant to take the initiative to seek mental health services because of the uneven distribution of resources and stigmatization. Thus, mobile apps are considered an effective way to eliminate these obstacles and improve mental health awareness. Objective This study aims to evaluate the quality, function, privacy measures, and evidence-based and professional background of multipurpose mental health apps in Chinese commercial app stores. Methods A systematic search was conducted on iOS and Android platforms in China to identify multipurpose mental health apps. Two independent reviewers evaluated the identified mobile apps using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Each app was downloaded, and the general characteristics, privacy and security measures, development background, and functional characteristics of each app were evaluated. Results A total of 40 apps were analyzed, of which 35 (87.5%) were developed by companies and 33 (82.5%) provided links to access the privacy policy; 21 (52.5%) apps did not mention the involvement of relevant professionals or the guidance of a scientific basis in the app development process. The main built-in functions of these apps include psychological education (38/40, 95%), self-assessment (34/40, 85%), and counseling (33/40, 82.5%). The overall quality average MARS score of the 40 apps was 3.54 (SD 0.39), and the total score was between 2.96 and 4.30. The total MARS score was significantly positively correlated with the scores of each subscale (r=0.62-0.88, P<.001). However, the user score of the app market was not significantly correlated with the total MARS score (r=0.17, P=.33). Conclusions The quality of multipurpose mental health apps in China’s main app market is generally good. However, health professionals are less involved in the development of these apps, and the privacy protection policy of the apps also needs to be described in more detail. This study provides a reference for the development of multipurpose mental health apps.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multipurpose Mobile Apps for Mental Health in Chinese App Stores: Content Analysis and Quality Evaluation

Wu¹,

Lin²,

Li³

et al. 2022

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lack of accessibility to services and information was also a frequent barrier. According to Stunden et al [ 7 ], the financial pressure associated with traditional care services (e.g., psychiatrists, counselors, and psychotherapists) was often mentioned as an obstacle to treatment seeking and obtaining optimal mental wellbeing. However, Ijadi-Maghsoodi in his research on unsupportive parents, acknowledged that those who had extremely strict parents hesitated to reach out to them for help [ 23 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding facilitators, the most reported one was increasing societal and family awareness. This could be linked to Vidourek and Burbage’s [ 7 ] study, which revealed that individuals consistently listed awareness as a component of education, leading to improved mental health and a reduction in stigma [ 7 ]. Sources of external support were also a category that was mentioned in other studies, some of which belonged to Hassett, Dong, and Stunden, who stressed upon the fact that in any situation, individuals such as friends, parents, teachers, job supervisors, counselors, coaches, and semi-formal relationships recognized one’s need for assistance [ 7 , 9 , 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In another Canadian study exploring the patterns and influences of help-seeking for mental health concerns among transition-aged youth, four main themes were generated. These themes involved the influence of service providers and their accessibility; social factors including stigma and mental health literacy; mental health awareness campaigns; and sources of support, particularly self-help [ 7 ]. Moreover, an Australian study that analyzed the attitudes of university students on the Internet in search for mental health assistance reported that about 30% of the students had symptoms of a mental illness, yet very few sought professional help [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Barriers and Facilitators to Mental Health Help-Seeking among Young Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

Noorwali

Almotairy

Akhder

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While young Saudi adults are reportedly prone to experiencing a variety of mental health problems, they tend to delay seeking mental health support. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of seeking mental health support among young adults in Saudi Arabia. A qualitative research design was implemented using semi-structured interviews with 12 young adult participants in Saudi Arabia, recruited through social media platforms, and the interviews were then analyzed using thematic analysis. Two major themes emerged: barriers that impede the process of mental health help-seeking and facilitators that assist individuals in seeking mental health support. The barriers included public stigma and lack of awareness, unprofessional mental health practitioners, lack of accessibility to services and information, unsupportive families, intrapersonal dilemmas, and misconceptions based on religious beliefs. Facilitators of help-seeking included increasing societal and family awareness, promoting the accessibility of services, enhancing sources of external support, personal motivation to change, and online therapy. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of promoting mental health literacy among the Saudi public, particularly with regard to young adults and their unique mental health needs. Exploring facilitators and barriers may also assist mental health providers in developing tailored mental health campaigns and interventions directed at young adults.

show abstract

“…Paradoxically, symptoms of anxiety and depression can also act as a barrier to adolescents to receive mental health help; this help-negation effect, those with increased distress having less intent to seek help, has been reported among adolescents with clinical mental disorder and sub-clinical mental distress (D. Clark & Fawcett, 1992;Wilson et al, 2007). Concerningly, receiving informal help from family and friends may also be subject to the help-negation effect (Wilson & Deane, 2010) leading researchers to consider other options that may involve fewer barriers, such as digital selfhelp alternatives (Olesen et al, 2010;Rickwood et al, 2015;Stunden et al, 2020).…”

Section: Individual Barriersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Mental Health Intervention Uptake Among Distressed New Zealand High School Students in a Comprehensive Survey: Implications for Digital Help Provision

Shaw¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: High rates of mental distress are reported among adolescents. Emerging evidence suggests that digital mental health interventions, such as computerised psychotherapy, informative websites, and non-clinical helplines, may help. However, it is unclear whether these resources are reaching those who experience distress in real-world settings. Aim: The aim of this research is to explore adolescent uptake of digital mental health interventions offered via a comprehensive youth health survey, with a particular focus on adolescents experiencing probable mental distress. Methods: Data were drawn from the Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey. At the end of the survey participants were provided the opportunity to opt-in to receive digital health resources. Participants’ opt-in and access to these digital health resources, as well as if they accessed the specific mental health resources, was remotely monitored. We compare opt-in and access among participants with and without probable mental distress. Results: Of those who completed the Youth19 survey (n = 7721), a substantial minority of participants opted-in to receive the digital health resources (n = 1720). However, of those who opted-in, access was low (n = 187). Participants with probable mental distress were more likely than their non-distressed counterparts to opt-in and access the digital health resources, although these differences were small. Importantly, only seven participants went on to access digital mental health interventions. Discussion: The moderate number of participants to opt-in to receive Youth19 digital health resources suggests that digital resources may be a valuable component of supporting diverse groups of adolescents. The high attrition, however, indicates that adolescents may be experiencing barriers to accessing these interventions. Smart design to increase appeal, addressing barriers that limit access, and providing multiple options for different groups could increase adolescents’ engagement with digital mental health interventions.

show abstract

Help-Seeking Behaviors of Transition-Aged Youth for Mental Health Concerns: Qualitative Study

Cited by 34 publications

References 47 publications

Multipurpose Mobile Apps for Mental Health in Chinese App Stores: Content Analysis and Quality Evaluation

Multipurpose Mobile Apps for Mental Health in Chinese App Stores: Content Analysis and Quality Evaluation

Barriers and Facilitators to Mental Health Help-Seeking among Young Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

Digital Mental Health Intervention Uptake Among Distressed New Zealand High School Students in a Comprehensive Survey: Implications for Digital Help Provision

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About