Help-seeking behaviours of adolescents: How are symptomatology, attachment, demographic, and problem characteristics related?

The impact of various problem and individual characteristics on help-seeking behaviours of adolescents was investigated. Of particular interest was how problem type and perceived severity, along with symptomatology, attachment, age, gender, and SES were related to seeking help, as well as the number and type of resources sought out. Three hundred and ninety two high school students between the ages of 14 and 19 years completed a battery of questionnaires. The adolescents reported several types of problems, including those related to school, family, peers, and significant others. Of the adolescents, 67.9% reported seeking out help, with girls seeking help more often than boys. The various predictor variables were able to predict help-seeking behaviours of adolescents, including whether or not they sought out help, how many resources they sought, and who they went to for assistance. Helpseekers tended to perceive their problems as more severe and report greater externalizing symptomatology than non-helpseekers. There was a trend for securely attached individuals to seek out slightly more resources than those who were dismissing or preoccupied. The more withdrawn the adolescents were, the fewer resources they sought out. Adolescents tended to seek out best friends, friends and peers, mothers, and fathers. Each of the predictor variables were related to seeking out help from at least one resource, sometimes as many as over half. The present study demonstrated the complex nature of adolescent help-seeking behaviours, as well as how various problem and individual characteristics are related. Implications for intervention are discussed, such as the inclusion of various helping resources, as well as identifying problem characteristics along with individual characteristics of the adolescent.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2004 .C368. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, page: 1000. Adviser: Rosanne Menna. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004