Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Bridging the Need-To-Access Gap: Factors Shaping Parents' Movement Through the Mental Health Help-Seeking Process for
Alexandra R Bowling1, Lindsay E Holly1
1Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Abstract:
ObjectiveModels of youth mental health help-seeking emphasize parents' central role in recognizing concerns, deciding to seek help, and accessing services. However, many parents who perceive a need for care do not access services. This study investigated whether parents' characteristics were related to parents' status in the youth mental health help-seeking pathway.MethodParents (N = 186; 25.8% Black or African American, 25.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian) completed online self-report questionnaires assessing sociodemographic characteristics and mental health-related knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. Based on their responses to service use history and intentions to seek treatment, parents were classified as need perceivers, treatment intenders, or treatment utilizers.ResultsWhite parents were more likely than Black/African American and Asian parents to be treatment intenders or treatment utilizers rather than need perceivers. Parents were more likely to be treatment utilizers than need perceivers as parental self-efficacy increased and perceived irrelevance of treatment decreased.DiscussionFindings highlight potential parent-level and systemic factors relevant to youth mental health service use. Efforts to support access may benefit from addressing parents' confidence in seeking care, misconceptions about treatment relevance, and racial and ethnic inequities in the youth mental health help-seeking process.
Related Concept Videos
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...