Correlates of help-seeking in adolescence

In this study, we examined the demographic and psychological variables associated with seeking help from parents, friends and professionals for coping with emotional problems during early and middle adolescence. Two-hundred and twenty-one adolescents (109 males, 112 females), ranging in age from 13 to 18 years (mean age = 15.0 years), completed measures assessing self-worth, self-consciousness, and locus of control Adolescents were also asked to report whether or not they had sought help from mothers, fathers, fiends, and professionals for assistance in coping with a recent stress event Descriptive analyses revealed that more adolescent females and middle adolescents reported seeking assistance from mothers, fends and professionals than males and early adolescents. While no difference emerged between early and middle adolescent females in their utilization of mothers and fathers as support providers, middle adolescent males were more likely to report seeking help from their fathers than were younger adolescent males. A series of stepwise discriminant function analyses were conducted in order to determine the extent to which age, gender, self-worth, self-consciousness, and locus of control predicted seeking help. For example, females and adolescents with an internal locus of control were more likely to report seeking help from their mothers than males and adolescents with an external locus of control. With respect to fathers, adolescents who sought help from their fathers were less self-conscious than those who did not seek help. Those adolescents who reported seeking help from professionals were older, had lower self-worth, and were less self-consciousness than those adolescents who reported that they did not seek help from professionals. Results are discussed with regard to mechanisms of differential gender socialization during adolescence.