Parental involvement in adolescent mental health

Adolescents have a high prevalence of mental health problems but are unlikely to seek help. Adults, including parents are important within this process. The study therefore aimed to develop a theory of the influence of parents upon adolescent help seeking.

Method
Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents, their parents and clinicians working within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). A grounded theory analysis allowed for the in-depth exploration of participants’ experiences.

Findings
A model was developed identifying help seeking as a family journey. Parents were highly influential in the help seeking journey, and parents who were able to be more available to their adolescents tended to be more involved in the help seeking process. Other adults were utilised within the help seeking process. Once adolescents were engaged with the help seeking process they were often able to then seek further help independently.

Conclusions
The findings suggest that consideration should be given to making services accessible to adolescents. CAMHS services should explore ways with adolescents to give control over parental involvement, and ways with parents to develop availability. Future research should consider the experiences of older and younger adolescents separately, and the transition into adult services.