Beliefs and attitudes towards help seeking and intentions to seek professional psychological help among adolescents
dc.contributor.author
Kelly, Laura Ann
en
dc.date.accessioned
2018-03-29T12:17:43Z
dc.date.available
2018-03-29T12:17:43Z
dc.date.issued
2007
dc.description.abstract
en
dc.description.abstract
INTRODUCTION:
The mental health needs of adolescents often go unmet, in part due to a high
proportion of adolescents choosing not to seek help even when services are available.
In order to ensure those in need receive services, there is a need for a better
understanding of factors that influence an individual's decision to seek help. The
present study aimed to identify the impact of beliefs and attitudes towards seeking and
receiving help on professional psychological help seeking intentions in adolescents. A
secondary aim was to begin to address the developmental trajectory of such attitudes
and the role of one possible influence on their development, parental attitudes.
en
dc.description.abstract
METHOD:
517 adolescent high school pupils aged 13-18 years and their parents were
administered three measures of attitudes and beliefs relating to help seeking: the
Barriers to Adolescent Help Seeking-Revised (BASH-B), the Attitudes Towards
Seeking Professional Psychological Help (ATSPPH-B), and the 5 Item Stigma Scale
for Receiving Psychological Help (SSRPH) in addition to a measure of willingness to
seek help for personal-emotional problems, the General Help Seeking Questionnaire
(GHSQ).
en
dc.description.abstract
RESULTS:
Regression techniques were used in order to determine the predictive value of the
independent variables on willingness to seek help. Holding more positive attitudes
towards seeking psychological help and receiving psychological help, holding fewer
perceived barriers to help seeking, and having a history of help seeking were related
to greater willingness to seek help from formal sources. Holding fewer perceived
barriers to help seeking, having a history of help seeking and being female were
related to greater willingness to seek help from informal sources.
en
dc.description.abstract
Correlational techniques were employed to determine the relationship between age
and the variables of interest. No relationship was found between age and beliefs and
attitudes towards seeking and receiving help. An association was found between age
and total help seeking intentions for all sources indicating that as age increased,
intention to seek help decreased. Age and help seeking intentions for formal sources
were negatively correlated, therefore as age increased, help seeing intentions for
formal sources decreased. Age and help seeking intentions for informal sources were
not associated. There was no association between adolescent children and their
parents' attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help, receiving
professional psychological help, or level of belief based barriers to help seeking held.
en
dc.description.abstract
DISCUSSION:
Results were discussed with references to previous findings in the literature and
theoretical implications were highlighted. Strengths and limitations of the study were
discussed. Implications of the findings for attitudinal change programmes, and service
design and development aimed at increasing help seeking were considered.
en
dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/1842/29191
dc.publisher
The University of Edinburgh
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dc.relation.ispartof
Annexe Thesis Digitisation Project 2018 Block 17
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dc.relation.isreferencedby
Already catalogued
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dc.title
Beliefs and attitudes towards help seeking and intentions to seek professional psychological help among adolescents
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dc.type
Thesis or Dissertation
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dc.type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral
en
dc.type.qualificationname
DClinPsychol Doctor of Clinical Psychology
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