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

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

Transition-aged youth are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, yet they are one of the least likely demographic groups to seek help. 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 post...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical Internet research Vol. 22; no. 10; p. e18514
Main Authors: 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, Wiljer, David
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Canada Gunther Eysenbach MD MPH, Associate Professor 05-10-2020
JMIR Publications
Subjects:
Access
Adolescent
Adult
Campaigns
Female
Health behavior
Health literacy
Health problems
Health services
Help seeking behavior
Humans
Influence
Male
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - therapy
Mental health
Mental Health - standards
Mental health services
Mental Health Services - standards
Navigation
Original Paper
Qualitative Research
Research design
Schools
Self help
Social factors
Stigma
Symptoms
Young Adult
Youth
Canada
help-seeking behavior
social support
mobile apps
mental health
mHealth
adolescent
students
substance abuse
eHealth
social stigma
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Summary:Transition-aged youth are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, yet they are one of the least likely demographic groups to seek help. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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ISSN:1438-8871
1439-4456
1438-8871
DOI:10.2196/18514