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Understanding the barriers and facilitating factors to mental health help-seeking in Australian adolescent males with anxiety disorders

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posted on 2022-03-28, 10:20 authored by Laura Clark
Aims: Adolescent males are consistently reported to be reluctant to seek help for common mental health problems. The aim of this thesis was to inform future developments of youth mental health interventions by enhancing the conceptual understanding of factors associated with help-seeking for clinical anxiety in this population. This aim was achieved by investigating the attitudes of adolescent males (both with and without experience of help-seeking for anxiety) towards help-seeking behaviour for anxiety disorders. In addition, the research investigated the attitudes of adolescent males towards a method often hypothesised to increase youth mental health help-seeking (computerised psychological support). Finally, the thesis investigated the relationships between identified barriers to youth help-seeking (mental health literacy, stigma, and parenting behaviour) and help-seeking attitudes, intentions and behaviour in adolescent males within the context of anxiety disorders. Scope: This thesis by published works comprises five papers reporting two qualitative and three quantitative investigations. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 31 adolescent males (aged 12 to 18 years) from both clinical and community samples. Quantitative online surveys were also completed by community samples of adolescent males (aged 12-18 years) from Sydney and Canberra, Australia. Conclusions: An in-depth understanding of barriers and facilitating factors to help-seeking, anxiety-specific mental health literacy, and stigma in adolescent males was elicited. Mental health literacy, stigma, and parenting behaviour were all found to have an association with help-seeking in adolescent males; although, this association was typically in relation to help-seeking attitudes and intentions as opposed to help-seeking behaviour. Social norms of hegemonic masculinity were found to influence a number of help-seeking variables investigated within the thesis.

History

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Paper 1 - Barriers and facilitating factors to help-seeking for symptoms of clinical anxiety in adolescent males -- Chapter 3. Paper 2 - Investigating the impact of masculinity on the relationship between anxiety mental health literacy and mental health help-seeking in adolescent males -- Chapter 4. Paper 3 - 'He needs to man up' : investigating anxiety specific mental health stigma and help-seeking in adolescent males -- Chapter 5. Paper 4 - Capturing the attitudes of adolescent males towards computerised help-seeking for anxiety -- Chapter 6. Paper 5 - The association between parental behaviour and mental health help-seeking in adolescent males -- Chapter 7. Discussion -- Appendices.

Notes

"Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University" -- at foot of title. Thesis by publication. Includes bibliographical references

Awarding Institution

Macquarie University

Degree Type

Thesis PhD

Degree

PhD, Macquarie University, Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Psychology

Department, Centre or School

Department of Psychology

Year of Award

2017

Principal Supervisor

Jennifer L. Hudson

Additional Supervisor 1

Ronald M. Rapee

Additional Supervisor 2

Debra Dunstan

Rights

Copyright Laura Clark 2016. Copyright disclaimer: http://mq.edu.au/library/copyright

Language

English

Extent

1 online resource (269, 2 pages)

Former Identifiers

mq:71292 http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1272809

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