Influences on adolescent help-seeking for mental health problems

Abstract

Seeking help for mental health concerns is critical for improving wellbeing and preventing the development of mental health disorders, yet many adolescents with mental health problems fail to seek professional help. It is well established that young people with mental health problems face a variety of barriers to help-seeking; however, little is known about the ways in which these barriers interact to impact upon the help-seeking process. Guided by the reasoned action approach, this study investigated the predictive relationship between factors that influence help-seeking. Results revealed that mental health knowledge significantly predicted help-seeking intentions, while attitudes did not. Gender differences were identified for help source preferences. The current study contributes to knowledge on the relationship between key variables that influence the adolescent help-seeking process. Findings highlight the importance of mental health knowledge in predicting help-seeking intentions and provide support for interventions that focus on improving mental health literacy in adolescents.

The Role of Informal Sources of Help In Young People’s Access To, Engagement With, And Maintenance In Professional Mental Health Care—A Scoping Review

“…Selected research (n = 32) was published between 2005 and 2021. The most common country of research was Australia (n = 11) (Burns & Rapee, 2006;Gilchrist & Sullivan, 2006;Jorm et al 2007;DeAnstiss & Ziaian, 2010;Hernan et al 2010;Medlow et al 2010;Yap et al 2013;Lubman et al 2017;Valibhoy et al 2017;Maiuolo et al 2019;Pearson & Hyde, 2021) followed by the United States of America (n = 6) (Draucker, 2005;Freedenthal & Stiffman, 2007;Ellis et al 2010;Schmeelk-Cone et al 2012;Damian et al 2018;Wang et al 2020). The remaining studies included five from the United Kingdom (Fox & Butler, 2007;Quinn et al 2009;Klineberg et al 2011;Coleman-Fountain et al 2020;Breslin et al 2022)…”

“…Regarding problem-solving for mental health, research demonstrates that some young people can find satisfactory support within their informal networks, through listening, guidance and information (Draucker 2005;Freedenthal and Stiffman, 2007;Bilican, 2013). Research from Australia by Pearson & Hyde (2021) suggests that the preference to seek help from family and friends for a mental health problem might be due to barriers such as poor mental health literacy. However, other research would suggest that since young people have genuine fears about the unknown processes of mental health help-seeking with unfamiliar professionals in a service, this preference for help-seeking to family and friends might be due to the nature of informal relationships which often provide easy and immediate access to familiar, trusting, and predictable support (Lindsey & Kalafat, 1998;Freedenthal & Stiffman, 2007;Coleman-Fountain et al 2020;Lynch et al 2021).…”

“…No research study was located that investigated the role of informal sources of help in youth mental health help-seeking pathways as a primary aim and the majority of evidence for this review emanated from secondary findings within broader youth mental health help-seeking research. Furthermore, youth mental health help-seeking can be approached from different theoretical viewpoints (Pearson & Hyde, 2021) and insight on this topic has been impacted by the lack of clarity or consistency in approach to how the topic is investigated (Table 2). This review found that research articles did not always provide clear information regarding the study's theoretical underpinnings and that the role of informal supports was often assumed, implied or directly described as a barrier or a facilitator, depending on the viewpoint of the investigators.…”

“…Furthermore, friends and peers can be the source of mental health problems due to social rejection, conflict or bullying (Draucker, 2005;Gilchrist & Sullivan, 2006;Fox & Butler, 2007;Quinn et al 2009). There is also evidence to suggest a gender disparity across the early and mid-adolescent years where girls can become increasingly socialised to use friends as a source of help and gradually reduce dependence on their parents and family, and boys appearing to be socialised to help-seek less from all sources of help (Pearson & Hyde, 2021).…”

“…Help-seeking for a mental health problem is a complex process that involves problem solving through interpersonal interaction (Cornally & McCarthy, 2011;Chan, 2013). There are many models and approaches used when examining barriers and facilitators to help-seeking behaviour (Pearson & Hyde, 2021) and some research points to the need for specific models and approaches for younger people (Breslin et al 2022). The term 'young people' or 'youth' can refer to individuals aged between 10 and 29 years however, this varies across culture and can be subject to regional economic conditions (UNESCO, 2010;Arnett, 2014;WHO, 2022;Patel et al 2007).…”