Worsening depressive symptoms found to decrease subsequent help-seeking intentions in adolescents

One in four adolescents are reported to have depressive symptoms. However, most adolescents with depressive symptoms do not receive appropriate care. Cross-sectional studies have observed an association between depressive symptoms and help-seeking intentions among adolescents, suggesting a possibility that adolescents with depressive symptoms have difficulties seeking help for their symptoms.

This study, published in published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, examined longitudinal relationships between antecedent depressive symptoms and subsequent help-seeking intentions among adolescents using data obtained from a population-based birth cohort study in Tokyo, Japan (Tokyo Teen Cohort).

In the Tokyo Teen Cohort, we assessed help-seeking intentions and depressive symptoms among adolescents at four time points, each with a two-year interval (10y, 12y, 14y, and 16y). We examined longitudinal relationships between the two variables using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Subsequently, we found that antecedent worsening depressive symptoms decrease subsequent help-seeking intentions across all time points (10y–12y, 12y–14y, and 14y–16y) (Image).

This is the first study reporting that worsening depressive symptoms decrease subsequent help-seeking intentions, highlighting the social need for adults who are close to adolescents experiencing mental health difficulties to provide them with proactive support. This result also indicates that creating a supportive environment is crucial to encourage adolescents to disclose their psychological distress to adults without hesitation.