Help-seeking for young rural males disengaged from education

Young Australian males 15-to-24-years-old have a high prevalence of mental health disorders and suicide but are least likely to seek professional mental health support. Most help-seeking studies fail to consider young males who are disengaged from mainstream education. This research aims to gain an enriched understanding about mental health literacy and help-seeking from the perspective of young rural males disengaged from mainstream education.

Participants included sixteen males aged 15-to-24-years. All participants had disengaged from mainstream education and had experienced disadvantage. Qualitative methodology was employed using reflexive thematic analysis to analyse interview transcripts and develop themes.

There were four major themes and three subthemes: 1) contextual influence, with subtheme of cultural influence; 2) a spectrum of knowledge with subtheme of subjective threshold; 3) battling stigma; and 4) genuine connection, with subtheme of redefining service models.

This research provides the first known insight into the help-seeking perspectives of young rural males disengaged from education. Their narratives, highlight that help-seeking is valued yet action remains ambivalent and hindered by understandings of mental health literacy, stigma, and service models. For these young men, genuine connection that honours their context and experiences is more important than demonstrating clinical expertise. This research offers practical suggestions for tailoring mental health services to meet the needs of young rural men disengaged from education.