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Young people, social support and help-seeking.
Gary Barker1, Adepeju Olukoya, Peter Aggleton
1Instituto PROMUNDO, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
|February 1, 2006
Summary
Understanding young people's help-seeking behavior requires addressing both individual factors and structural barriers like poverty and prejudice. Promoting help-seeking involves building trust and reducing stigma.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Psychology
Background:
- Young people's help-seeking behavior is complex and influenced by multiple factors.
- Existing research often overlooks the interplay between individual and societal determinants.
- There is a need for integrated frameworks to guide policy and interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a conceptual framework for understanding young people's help-seeking behavior.
- To identify individual and structural determinants influencing help-seeking.
- To inform policy and program development for enhanced social support.
Main Methods:
- International literature review.
- Purposive international survey of expert informants.
- Conceptual framework development.
Main Results:
- Distinguished between individual and structural determinants of help-seeking.
- Highlighted the impact of policy and program influences on help demand and social support supply.
- Emphasized the importance of addressing normative and specific health needs.
- Identified trust-building, attitude shifts, and stigma reduction as crucial.
- Recognized social exclusion, violence, poverty, prejudice, and gender inequalities as significant barriers.
Conclusions:
- Structural barriers significantly hinder young people's access to help.
- Future interventions must address these barriers, focusing on excluded populations.
- Promoting help-seeking requires a multi-faceted approach considering individual, societal, and policy levels.