Adolescents' mental health, help seeking and service use and parents' perception of family functioning

Abstract

The adolescent population are facing mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to describe and investigate the mental health of adolescents, their relation to their parents, who they contact for help and their healthcare service use. A further objective was to describe and investigate family functioning in parents. A cross-sectional design was employed using register data from a survey of adolescents (n=46 961), and surveys were conducted of two groups of parentsone group of parents with children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (n=264) and one group of parents with school children (n=157). Descriptive and comparative statistics were used. 5.65% of the adolescents were quite distressed. This group of adolescents would be less likely to seek help from friends and parents than the other adolescents. They were also more likely to use all types of healthcare services, and parents reported that they avoided discussing fears and concerns. School nurses are low-threshold professionals who can contribute in early support and interventions, providing service to all school pupils with an open door policy. The use of family conversations focusing on strengths and resources may help the families to talk about difficult matters and highlight the resources in the family.

Mental Health Professionals' Experiences with Applying a Family-Centred Care Focus in Their Clinical Work

“…The risk of adolescents dropping out is also reported in another Norwegian study. Here, adolescents reporting mental distress also reported a more difficult relationship with their parents, and they were less likely to seek help from their parents, friends or other adults compared to adolescents who were not mentally distressed (Moen & Hall-Lord, 2019).…”

Family and School Context: Effects on the Mental Health of Brazilian Students

“…The absence or instability of a family can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, insignificance, loneliness, and other factors, including problematic amount of freedom and exposure to risky behaviors [ 10 , 11 ]. A study conducted in Norway determined that students being able to talk to their parents was a key factor in their quality of life and suggested that good family life supported mental health in adolescents [ 12 ]. In England, a study carried out with 203 students aged 11–16 years showed that greater emotional closeness with parents was associated with a lower risk of behavioral and emotional problems [ 9 ].…”

Overcoming barriers to reach for a helping hand: adolescent boys’ experience of visiting the public health nurse for mental health problems

“…Although adolescents experience good general health, their mental health problems have increased in recent years (Bakken, 2018;Collishaw, 2015). Worldwide, 10-20% of adolescents experience mental health problems (Schulte-Körne, 2016; World Health Organization, 2017), with a lower prevalence among adolescent boys than among adolescent girls (Moen & Hall-Lord, 2018).…”

“…It has also been reported that adolescents with mental health problems use the school health services only to a small extent, and boys even less than girls (Granrud et al, 2017;Moen & Hall-Lord, 2018). Stigma and the embarrassment associated with mental health problems are reported as a barrier to seeking help (Gulliver, Griffiths, & Christensen, 2010).…”