Abstract
Listening to the voices of adolescents and young adults regarding their lived experiences could be a way to identify important skills and abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that will enable youth to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Hence, the aim with the current study is to explore the experiences and understandings of the life situation among adolescents and young adults of today, by making their voices heard in regards to mental health and help-seeking behaviour. A total of 6 group interviews were conducted with 22 adolescents and young adults (13 girls and 9 boys) ages 17–25 (M = 18.6 years). Data analysis was conducted using qualitative content analysis and resulted in two categories and five subcategories. The first category, Life challenges, included views on the sources of mental health, how to manage different types of relationships, and thoughts on accepted ways to express mental health problems. The second category, The need of present adults, highlighted important aspects for seeking help, such as an expressed need to be seen and heard by adults including parents, school staff, and other professionals as well as a need for adults’ increased availability. The challenges to students’ well-being and mental health are many, and there are no simple solutions. Based on the results in this study, life skills training should include elements to enhance the development of individual coping strategies, to be applied when life feels tough and when the body is experiencing stress reactions. Further, to minimize the risk of self-stigma and the internalization of negative stereotypes and self-blame, life skills training should include elements to increase knowledge of structural factors that have effects on the life situation as well as parents, school personnel, and other important adults.
Highlights
The main findings showed that the participants in our study present two different sides when it comes to mental health problems
In addition to previous research on stigma, this study indicates that focusing on reducing self-stigma may be of equal importance when working to improve life skills among youth
By listening to the voices of adolescents and young adults regarding their lived experiences and mental health, this study will be an addition to previous research as we have strived to identify what skills adolescents and young adults need to be able to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The number of young people experiencing mental health problems has increased dramatically. Half of all 15-year olds in Sweden report recurring psychosomatic health problems, which is higher than any other Nordic country [1,2,3]. At the time of this study, a global pandemic of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected the health of people all around the world in different ways. Countries have adopted different strategies and restrictions to stop the spread, in many cases leading to isolation among adolescents and young adults, which, in turn, might worsen the already upward trend of mental illness. The long-term effects of the pandemic on mental health are under research [4]
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