Help-seeking behavior in Norwegian adolescents: the role of bullying and cyberbullying victimization in a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Help-seeking is considered a constructive coping style. However, the threshold at which many adolescents seek help is relatively high, and the outcomes are not necessarily always positive. Objective: The main aim of this study was to examine if bullying and cyberbullying victimization predicted help-seeking behavior among Norwegian adolescents. Method: Help-seeking behavior was predicted using three different Generalized Linear Mixed Models. In addition to demographic characteristics and mental health, these models controlled for bullying and cyberbullying, respectively. Results: 2054 adolescents answered questions on help-seeking behavior and if they had felt the need to seek outside help with their problems, feelings, behavior, or emotional troubles within the past 6 months. Two hundred (9.7%) reported seeking outside help. Being exposed to bullying increased the likelihood of help-seeking behavior, while being exposed to cyberbullying did not. Only when forms of bullying or cyberbullying, respectively, were added to the models, did the threat of having rumors spread, both in real life and online, increase the likelihood for seeking help. Conclusions: Many factors affect whether adolescents seek help for a problem. The fact that adolescents exposed to bullying seek help more often than those not exposed may be considered a success, as this behavior is encouraged by many adults, mental health professionals, and anti-bullying interventions. However, adolescents exposed to cyberbullying did not seem to seek help. Future studies should identify factors that lead to more and successful help-seeking among bullied and cyberbullied adolescents.

Youth Bullying and Suicide: Risk and Protective Factor Profiles for Bullies, Victims, Bully-Victims and the Uninvolved

“…The contrasting findings may be due to difficulties in determining whether bullying or help-seeking occurs first. This corresponds with past conclusions on youth who report more frequent non-suicidal self-harm were more likely to seek help for this behavior [64], and interpreting bullied adolescents' increased help-seeking as a successful result of encouragement from adults, anti-bullying interventions, and mental health professionals [65]. Help-seeking from different sources can be useful not only as a protective factor but also indicates that those who reach out for help require better understanding and support to cope with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.…”

Factors that impact mental health help‐seeking in Australian adolescents: a life‐course and socioecological perspective

“…There were another four common factors of formal, close informal and broad informal help-seeking: previous depressive or anxiety symptoms, experiences of discrimination or bullying victimisation. This aligns with previous research showing that early mental health problems (Gray & Daraganova, 2017) and negative life experiences (Kaiser, Kyrrestad, & Fossum, 2020) can increase adolescents' intentions to seek help. This may suggest that adolescents who need help were successful in obtaining support to address their mental health problems.…”

Exploring the longitudinal relationship between anger rumination and peer victimization when controlling for sadness rumination

“…SST's main target is to help youth acquire the behavioral and cognitive social skills that enable healthy interpersonal functioning (e.g., Fox & Boulton 2003). Social support seeking is an active coping strategy that may buffer the negative effects of peer victimization (see Kaiser et al, 2020). Research shows that family, teachers, peers and close friends may attenuate the negative effects of peer victimization by providing emotional and verbal support as well as by encouraging adaptive emotion regulation strategies (Cooley et al, 2015).…”