An examination of sociodemographic and clinical factors influencing help-seeking attitudes and behaviors among adolescents with mental health problems.
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| Title: | An examination of sociodemographic and clinical factors influencing help-seeking attitudes and behaviors among adolescents with mental health problems. |
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| Authors: | Cavelti, Marialuisa, Ruppen, Noemi Anne, Sele, Silvano, Moessner, Markus, Bauer, Stephanie, Becker, Katja, Krämer, Jennifer, Eschenbeck, Heike, Rummel-Kluge, Christine, Thomasius, Rainer, Diestelkamp, Silke, Gillé, Vera, Baldofski, Sabrina, Koenig, Julian, Kaess, Michael |
| Source: | European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Apr2025, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p1391-1402. 12p. |
| Subjects: | Self-injurious behavior, Health services accessibility, Risk-taking behavior, Research funding, Mental illness, Statistical sampling, Help-seeking behavior, Severity of illness index, Randomized controlled trials, Alcohol-induced disorders, Eating disorders, Sociodemographic factors, Health promotion, School health services, Pathological psychology, Regression analysis, Mental depression, Adolescence |
| Abstract: | This study investigated sociodemographic and clinical factors influencing help-seeking attitudes and behavior among adolescents with mental health problems. As part of the ProHEAD ("Promoting Help-seeking using E-technology for ADolescents") consortium a school-based, online assessment of sociodemographic information, psychopathology, risk-taking and self-harming behavior, help-seeking attitudes and behavior, and barriers to help-seeking was conducted in adolescents aged ≥ 12 years recruited from randomly selected schools in five regions of Germany. Linear regression analyses with the LMG formula were performed to explore predictors of help-seeking attitudes and behavior and assess their relative importance. Nine thousand five hundred and nine participants (95.5%) completed the online assessment (mean age: 15.1 years, 58.6% female). In total, 1606 participants (16.9%) showed relevant mental health problems (e.g., depressive and eating disorder symptoms, alcohol problems, and thoughts of self-harming behavior). Among them, 895 (55.7%) reported having sought help (lifetime), with higher rates for informal (n = 842, 52.4%) compared to professional (n = 380, 23.7%) sources. High help-seeking propensity emerged as the most important factor contributing to professional help-seeking, followed by elevated levels of psychopathology and perceived barriers, with sociodemographic factors being less impactful. Psychopathological severity also outweighed sociodemographic factors in predicting negative help-seeking attitudes. These findings indicate that attitudes towards seeking professional help, perceived barriers, and psychopathology severity critically influence limited adolescent help-seeking behavior. This emphasizes the need for initiatives that promote help-seeking, reduce negative attitudes, and address structural barriers in adolescent mental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | This study investigated sociodemographic and clinical factors influencing help-seeking attitudes and behavior among adolescents with mental health problems. As part of the ProHEAD ("Promoting Help-seeking using E-technology for ADolescents") consortium a school-based, online assessment of sociodemographic information, psychopathology, risk-taking and self-harming behavior, help-seeking attitudes and behavior, and barriers to help-seeking was conducted in adolescents aged ≥ 12 years recruited from randomly selected schools in five regions of Germany. Linear regression analyses with the LMG formula were performed to explore predictors of help-seeking attitudes and behavior and assess their relative importance. Nine thousand five hundred and nine participants (95.5%) completed the online assessment (mean age: 15.1 years, 58.6% female). In total, 1606 participants (16.9%) showed relevant mental health problems (e.g., depressive and eating disorder symptoms, alcohol problems, and thoughts of self-harming behavior). Among them, 895 (55.7%) reported having sought help (lifetime), with higher rates for informal (n = 842, 52.4%) compared to professional (n = 380, 23.7%) sources. High help-seeking propensity emerged as the most important factor contributing to professional help-seeking, followed by elevated levels of psychopathology and perceived barriers, with sociodemographic factors being less impactful. Psychopathological severity also outweighed sociodemographic factors in predicting negative help-seeking attitudes. These findings indicate that attitudes towards seeking professional help, perceived barriers, and psychopathology severity critically influence limited adolescent help-seeking behavior. This emphasizes the need for initiatives that promote help-seeking, reduce negative attitudes, and address structural barriers in adolescent mental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 10188827 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00787-024-02568-7 |
