Adolescents’ Views on Seeking Help for Emotional and Behavioral Problems: A Focus Group Study

Suzanne J. van den Toren, Amy van Grieken, Marjolein Lugtenberg, Mirte Boelens and Hein Raat
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Suzanne J. van den Toren: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Amy van Grieken: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Marjolein Lugtenberg: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Mirte Boelens: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Hein Raat: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: This study aimed to get insight into adolescents’ views on help-seeking for emotional and behavioral problems. Fourteen focus groups were conducted. Two vignettes, depicting one healthy adolescent with few issues and one adolescent with severe psychosocial problems, were used to structure the focus groups. The focus groups were framed within a youth help-seeking model. Adolescents (mean age of 15.0 years) generally reported seeking help from friends or the internet for mild issues and from a person they trust like a parent or school mentor, for more severe problems. Adolescents correctly recognized the issues in vignette one as surmountable and the problems in vignette two as severe. A bond of trust with a help source was regarded as the main facilitator for the decision to seek help. Adolescents reported a preference for help sources who clearly displayed their expertise for the issue at hand and for informal help-sources, particularly friends.

Keywords: emotional and behavioral help-seeking behavior; adolescence; barriers and facilitators to help-seeking; help sources; internet help-seeking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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