TY  - JOUR
AU  - Stunden, Chelsea
AU  - Zasada, Julie
AU  - VanHeerwaarden, Nicole
AU  - Hollenberg, Elisa
AU  - Abi-Jaoudé, Alexxa
AU  - Chaim, Gloria
AU  - Cleverley, Kristin
AU  - Henderson, Joanna
AU  - Johnson, Andrew
AU  - Levinson, Andrea
AU  - Lo, Brian
AU  - Robb, Janine
AU  - Shi, Jenny
AU  - Voineskos, Aristotle
AU  - Wiljer, David
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/10/5
TI  - Help-Seeking Behaviors of Transition-Aged Youth for Mental Health Concerns: Qualitative Study
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e18514
VL  - 22
IS  - 10
KW  - mental health
KW  - students
KW  - adolescent
KW  - substance abuse
KW  - eHealth
KW  - mHealth
KW  - mobile apps
KW  - help-seeking behavior
KW  - social stigma
KW  - social support
AB  - Background: Transition-aged youth are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, yet they are one of the least likely demographic groups to seek help. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the influences on and patterns in help-seeking for mental health concerns among transition-aged youth who attend postsecondary schools in Canada. Methods: A qualitative research design was used, involving 12 semistructured focus groups with transition-aged youth (17-29 years) who attended postsecondary schools in Canada. A thematic analysis was conducted to code the transcripts and develop themes. Results: Four main themes and subthemes regarding the process and experience of help-seeking were generated: (1) the influence of formal service providers (accessibility and experiences), (2) the influence of social factors (system navigation and stigma), (3) the influence of health literacy (symptom recognition, acting on symptoms, digital tools and the internet, and mental health awareness campaigns), and (4) the influence of low-intensity sources of support, namely, self-help. Conclusions: Transition-aged youth seek help for mental health problems in different ways. Despite efforts to improve access to mental health services, transition-aged youth continue to face barriers to accessing these services, especially formal sources of support. The factors identified in this study that either hinder or facilitate help-seeking have pragmatic implications for developing help-seeking interventions and delivering mental health services for this population. In addition to other facilitators, family physicians are an important resource in the help-seeking process. Furthermore, digital help-seeking tools have unique characteristics that may make them an important source of support for transition-aged youth. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2020/10/e18514
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/18514
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33016882
DO  - 10.2196/18514
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/18514
ER  -