Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Correlates of Help-Seeking Behavior Among At-Risk Adolescents

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study compared demographic, academic, and clinical characteristics of adolescents at risk for mental health problems who either did or did not request help during a voluntary mental health screening. High school students completed a self-report to identify risk of mental health problems (n = 364). Students at risk were administered a clinical interview. Among those at risk, we compared those who requested help (n = 61) to those who did not (n = 22). The group who did not request help had a larger proportion of Caucasian students, higher grades, fewer days absent, and fewer detentions than their counterparts. In addition, those who did not request help were significantly more likely to report suicidal ideation in the preceding 3 months (63.6% vs. 27.9%, p < .001). Relying on adolescents’ requests for help alone would likely not identify many of those with suicidal ideation. Two-stage voluntary mental health screenings increase the detection of these adolescents at risk.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cheung AH, Dewa CS (2007) Mental health service use among adolescents and young adults with major depressive disorder and suicidality. Can J Psychiatry 52:228–232

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2003) New Freedom Commission on mental health, achieving the promise: transforming mental health care in America. Rockville, MD, Pub. No. SMA-0303832

  3. U.S. Public Health Service (2000) Report of the surgeon general’s conference on children’s mental health: a national action agenda. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC

  4. Boldero J, Fallon B (1995) Adolescent help-seeking: what do they get help for and from whom? J Adolesc 18:193–209. doi:10.1006/jado.1995.1013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rickwood D, Deane FP, Wilson CJ, Ciarrochi J (2005) Young people’s help-seeking for mental health problems. Aust E J Adv Ment Health 4:1–34

    Google Scholar 

  6. Carlton PA, Deane FP (2000) Impact of attitudes and suicidal ideation on adolescents’ intentions to seek professional psychological help. J Adolesc 23:35–45. doi:10.1006/jado.1999.0299

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gould MS, Velting D, Kleinman M, Lucas C, Thomas JG, Chung M (2004) Teenagers’ attitudes about coping strategies and help-seeking behavior or suicidality. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 43:1124–1133. doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000132811.06547.31

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Reinherz HZ, Tanner JL, Berger SR, Beardslee WR, Fitzmaurice GM (2006) Adolescent suicidal ideation as predictive of psychopathology, suicidal behavior, and compromised functioning. Am J Psychiatry 163:1226–1232. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.163.7.1226

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Rueter M, Kwon H-K (2005) Developmental trends in adolescent suicidal ideation. J Res Adolesc 15:205–222. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2005.00092.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Eaton DK, Kann L, Kinchen S, Ross J, Hawkins J, Harris WA, Lowry R, McManus T, Chyen D, Shanklin S, Lim C, Grunbaum JA, Wechsler H (2006) Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2005. J Sch Health 76:353–372. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2006.00127.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Shaffer D, Scott M, Wilcox H, Maslow C, Hicks R, Lucas C et al (2004) The Columbia suicide screen: validity and reliability of a screen for youth suicide and depression. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 43:71–79. doi:10.1097/00004583-200401000-00016

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Freedenthal S (2007) Racial disparities in mental health service use by adolescents who thought about or attempted suicide. Suicide Life Threat Behav 37:22–34. doi:10.1521/suli.2007.37.1.22

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kessler RC, Demler O, Frank RG, Olfson M, Pincus HA, Walters WW et al (2005) Trends in the prevalence, severity, and treatment of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the United States. N Engl J Med 352:2515–2523. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa043266

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Sareen J, Cox BJ, Afifi TO, Clara I, Yu BN (2005) Perceived need for mental health treatment in a nationally representative Canadian sample. Can J Psychiatry 50:643–651

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Gould MS, Marrocco FA, Kleinman M, Thomas JG, Mostkoff K, Cote J et al (2005) Evaluating iatrogenic risk of youth suicide screening programs: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 293:1635–1643. doi:10.1001/jama.293.13.1635

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Adelman H, Taylor L (2000) Promoting mental health in schools in the midst of school reform. J Sch Health 70:171

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York State Psychiatric Institute of Columbia University, 1775 Broadway, Suite 610, New York, NY, 10019, USA

    Mathilde M. Husky, Leslie McGuire & Laurie Flynn

  2. Student Assistance Program, Strong Vincent High School, 1330 West 8th Street, Erie, PA, 16502, USA

    Christine Chrostowski

  3. New York State Psychiatric Institute of Columbia University, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Box 24, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Mark Olfson

Authors
  1. Mathilde M. Husky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Leslie McGuire
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laurie Flynn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christine Chrostowski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mark Olfson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mathilde M. Husky.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Husky, M.M., McGuire, L., Flynn, L. et al. Correlates of Help-Seeking Behavior Among At-Risk Adolescents. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 40, 15–24 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-008-0107-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-008-0107-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation