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Freier Beitrag

„Man will einfach nicht so ein Bild von sich haben“

Die Rolle von Stigma für Jugendliche im Prozess der Inanspruchnahme professioneller Hilfe für psychische Probleme

Published Online:May 06, 2021https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000338

Abstract

Zusammenfassung.Theoretischer Hintergrund: Bis zu 3 von 10 Jugendlichen sind von einer psychischen Störung betroffen, jedoch nur etwa ein Drittel nimmt professionelle Hilfe dafür in Anspruch. Fragestellung: Quantitativen Studien zeigen, dass Stigma mit dieser Behandlungslücke assoziiert ist. Um diese Assoziation besser zu verstehen, untersucht die aktuelle Studie den Einfluss von Stigma auf die Inanspruchnahme professioneller Hilfe bei Jugendlichen mit psychischen Problemen qualitativ. Methode: 41 Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene (16 – 22 Jahre alt) nahmen an einer Gruppendiskussion mit 6 – 10 Teilnehmenden pro Gruppe teil. Die Diskussionen wurden mit inhaltlich strukturierender qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: Die Studie zeigt, dass Stigma nicht nur bei der Inanspruchnahme von professioneller Hilfe ein deutlich hemmender Faktor ist, sondern schon die Problemwahrnehmung hindert und eine stark verzögerte Erkennung des Hilfebedarfs verursacht. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Gerade in Zeiten von Covid-19 ist es wichtig, dass Jugendlichen unterstützt werden, Hilfe in Anspruch zu nehmen.


“You Just Don’t Want to Have Such a Self-Image”. The Role of Stigma for Adolescents in the Process of Seeking Professional Help for Mental Health Problems

Abstract.Theoretical Background: Up to 3 out of 10 adolescents suffer from a mental disorder. During the Covid-19 pandemic, even this number has risen. However, usually only about one third of adolescents with mental health problems seek professional care. Predominantly quantitative studies have indicated that stigma seems to play an important role in explaining this treatment gap. Objective: The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the association between stigma and help-seeking behavior of adolescents with mental health problems in more detail, by investigating the influence of different types of stigma on four phases of help seeking (the awareness and appraisal of problems, the expression of symptoms and need for support, the availability of sources of help, the willingness to seek out support and to disclose sources of that support) using group discussions. Method: Forty-one adolescents and young adults (age range 16 – 22 years) participated in group discussions with 6 – 10 participants in each group. The discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Additionally, the content of the group discussions was analyzed with an integrative basic procedure to investigate not only the content but also the way of speaking and the language used. Results: In all group discussions, stigma appeared clearly. It was shown as structural and personal stigma as well as in the words chosen (e. g., underestimating, relativizing words) and pauses in speaking when talking about mental health problems or about seeking professional care for this. Further, stigma inhibited all of the four phases of help seeking. Stigma hindered not only the willingness to seek out and disclose sources when help was sought, but also the awareness of mental health problems, the expression of the need for support and the knowledge about the sources of help. Discussion and Conclusion: In the present study, stigma was shown to be a serious barrier for recognizing and expressing mental health problems in adolescents, causing a huge treatment gap and severely delayed professional care utilization. Thus, there is still a high demand for effective interventions to reduce mental health–related stigma. Adolescents should be supported not only regarding help-seeking behavior – for example, by increasing mental health literacy – but also in the steps that come before seeking help – namely, recognizing having psychological stress and communicating it. Therefore any negative connotation of mental health problems and psychological distress should be discussed and reduced. Recognizing psychological distress should be perceived as an opportunity to seek adequate help. Social media, prevention campaigns, and politics can help. Especially in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic with increasing prevalence rates for mental health problems, it is important to further facilitate help-seeking behavior in all phases of the process, so that professional care for adolescents can be assured.

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