Symptoms of Mental Health Problems: Children's and Adolescents' Understandings and Implications for Gender Differences in Help Seeking

Citation

MacLean A, Hunt K & Sweeting H (2013) Symptoms of Mental Health Problems: Children's and Adolescents' Understandings and Implications for Gender Differences in Help Seeking. Children and Society, 27 (3), pp. 161-173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2011.00406.x

Abstract
Amidst concerns that young people's mental health is deteriorating, it is important to explore their understandings of symptoms of mental health problems and beliefs around help seeking. Drawing on focus group data from Scottish school pupils, we demonstrate how they understood symptoms of mental health problems and how their characterisations of these symptoms as 'rare' and 'weird' informed participants' perceptions that peers, teachers and parents would respond to disclosure in stigmatising ways. Consequently, participants suggested that they would delay or avoid disclosing symptoms of mental health problems. We highlight subtle gender and age differences and outline implications for policy and practice. © 2012 National Children's Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited.

Journal
Children and Society: Volume 27, Issue 3

People

Professor Kate Hunt

Professor, Institute for Social Marketing

Dr Alice MacLean

Research Fellow, Institute for Social Marketing