Abstract
Many adolescents avoid seeking psychological help despite the increasing prevalence of mental disorders. The current study investigated whether distress and stigma exhibit differential relationships to decisions to seek online mental health information among a sample of predominantly racial/ethnic minority U.S. adolescents. In this investigation, 174 adolescents (Age: M = 15.90, SD = 0.85, Range = 14−19) completed assessments of help-seeking stigma, psychological distress, and a question asking if they would like to view a website with mental health information. Distress was a statistically significant predictor of decisions to seek online mental health information, but stigma was not. Severely distressed boys were more likely to seek online information than severely distressed girls. Evidence-based online resources may be particularly effective ways to support distressed adolescents.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Adolescent and Family Health |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- self-stigma
- adolescents
- youth
- distress
- help-seeking
- psychological help