A Meta-Synthesis of Adolescent Psychological Help-Seeking

A Meta-Synthesis of Adolescent Psychological Help-Seeking by Karen A. Barnes MSW, University of Maine, 2006 BS, University of Maine at Farmington, 1992 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social Work Walden University November 2019 Abstract Although adolescents experience psychological difficulty at a rate higher than any other age group, most do not get the support they need. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions about barriers, facilitating factors, and help-seeking preferences for psychological support among adolescents. This study involved Best, Gil-Rodriguez, Manktelow, and Taylor’s conceptual framework pathways to online help-seeking to help explain adolescents’ perceptions of factors that influence them seeking support as well as identify pathways for support. A qualitative meta-synthesis design was used to synthesize findings of individual qualitative studies into themes around the central phenomenon of adolescent help-seeking. Data were collected by conducting an exhaustive literature review that initially identified 634 potential records, 16 of which met the specific inclusion criteria. The findings of this study indicate that adolescents identify 2 distinct pathways for support: formal and informal sources. Adolescents in the studies identified preferred informal sources of support as family (most often mothers), and school personnel (most often teachers), and most did not see formal sources as a viable option. Trust emerged as a primary factor in who, if anyone, adolescents chose to seek emotional support from. Other indicators of help-seeking included self-reliance, mental health literacy, stigma, and helper characteristics. Social change implications of this study include encouraging opportunities for schools to promote help-seeking by increasing mental health literacy for both students and staff and collaborating with families and professionals to promote transition to formal services.Although adolescents experience psychological difficulty at a rate higher than any other age group, most do not get the support they need. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions about barriers, facilitating factors, and help-seeking preferences for psychological support among adolescents. This study involved Best, Gil-Rodriguez, Manktelow, and Taylor’s conceptual framework pathways to online help-seeking to help explain adolescents’ perceptions of factors that influence them seeking support as well as identify pathways for support. A qualitative meta-synthesis design was used to synthesize findings of individual qualitative studies into themes around the central phenomenon of adolescent help-seeking. Data were collected by conducting an exhaustive literature review that initially identified 634 potential records, 16 of which met the specific inclusion criteria. The findings of this study indicate that adolescents identify 2 distinct pathways for support: formal and informal sources. Adolescents in the studies identified preferred informal sources of support as family (most often mothers), and school personnel (most often teachers), and most did not see formal sources as a viable option. Trust emerged as a primary factor in who, if anyone, adolescents chose to seek emotional support from. Other indicators of help-seeking included self-reliance, mental health literacy, stigma, and helper characteristics. Social change implications of this study include encouraging opportunities for schools to promote help-seeking by increasing mental health literacy for both students and staff and collaborating with families and professionals to promote transition to formal services. A Meta-Synthesis of Adolescent Psychological Help-Seeking by Karen A. Barnes MSW, University of Maine, 2006 BS, University of Maine at Farmington, 1992 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social Work Walden University November 2019 Dedication I dedicate this study and all of my work at Walden University to Dr. Barbara Solomon. Without your belief in my vision and financial support, this dream would not have become a reality for me. You have forever shaped my work with others and I hope what it yet to come will make you proud. Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank my family for their patience and understanding while I completed this journey that spanned half a decade. To my husband John and our children, Jordan, Jessica, and Matt, the sacrifices that you all made along this journey did not go unnoticed and I am forever grateful for your love and support. I would also like to acknowledge my father, Carl. This one is for you Dad. You have always taught me that there “aint no mountain high enough”. You have never let me quit and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Also, thank you to Bill for helping me to “roll my sleeves down Newkirk” and get it done. I am eternally grateful for your love and guidance. I would like to thank my committee chair Dr. Alice Yick for your support and the countless emails and telephone consultations throughout this process. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you to Dr. Janella Melius and Dr. Thomas McLaughlin for your support and guidance. Also, a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Martha Markward for setting the bar high in my early academic work at Walden. Finally, thank you to my Q family, Renee, Rarkimm, Sharon, and Terrance. Fate brought us together as family and that is how it will always be. I have the utmost love and respect for all of you. We have completed this journey side-by-side despite many obstacles for each of us. We have uplifted one another as each of us have fallen and quitting was never an option. From the bottom of my heart I love you all.