Adolescent help-seeking for major and minor problems

Abstract

One thousand and twenty‐two secondary school aged adolescents identified a major and a minor problem that they experienced in the previous 6 months. The adolescents indicated if they had sought help for their problems, and, if so, from whom. They also indicated how intimate, serious, and stigmatising the problems were as well as the degree to which they were responsible for the cause of the problems. Most problems were in the domains of family, interpersonal relationships, education, and health. Approximately one third of the respondents reported both their major and their minor problem from within the same domain. The majority of adolescents sought help from the nonprofessional help sources of parents and friends. It was possible to identify consistent help‐seekers, occasional help‐seekers, and the help‐avoiders. Neither the type of problem nor the school year level differentiated between the groups. Females were more likely than males to seek help on both occasions.