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Adolescents' help-seeking behaviour: the difference between self- and other-referral
1Department of Psychology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel. raviv@post.tau.ac.il
Journal of Adolescence
|February 13, 2001
Summary
Adolescents are more willing to seek help for others than for themselves, especially for severe issues. This willingness to help others positively correlates with actual help-seeking behavior.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Development
- Help-Seeking Behavior
Background:
- Adolescents often face challenges in seeking help for personal issues.
- Understanding factors influencing adolescent help-seeking is crucial for mental health support.
- Previous research indicates potential barriers to self-help-seeking in adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare adolescents' willingness to seek help for themselves versus referring others for help.
- To investigate differences in willingness to seek help based on problem severity and support source.
- To examine gender differences in adolescent help-seeking willingness.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to 512 Israeli 10th-grade students (219 males, 293 females).
- Assessed willingness to seek help from five sources for self and others, for minor and severe problems.
- Correlated willingness to seek help with actual help-seeking behavior.
Main Results:
- Adolescents showed higher willingness to refer others than seek help for themselves across most support sources.
- This difference was more significant for severe problems and referrals to psychologists, school counselors, and teachers.
- Girls reported greater willingness than boys to seek help from parents and friends.
- Actual help-seeking behavior was positively associated with willingness to seek support.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents may perceive less threat or cost when seeking help for others compared to themselves.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering perceived threat and costs in adolescent mental health interventions.
- Interventions could leverage adolescents' willingness to help peers to encourage broader help-seeking behaviors.
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