Help‐seeking attitudes and behaviours among young people in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Engaging young people in the planning of mental health promotion programmes and initiatives to meet their expressed needs continues to be a challenge for commissioners and providers. This paper reports a study to explore levels of self‐esteem and the main concerns of young people living with the legacy of conflict in the southern area of Northern Ireland, findings from which were used to inform good practice guidelines for service providers. The study highlighted that young people with low self‐esteem worry more, are more likely to engage in risk‐taking behaviour, feel more disillusioned and are less likely to access formal sources of help. Lack of trust, credibility and fears about confidentiality emerged as key barriers to help‐seeking.