[Validation of the general help-seeking questionnaire for mental health problems in adolescents]

Abstract

Help-seeking behavior is a protective factor in young people, essential for their mental health, well-being and development. However, some adolescents do not seek professional help when they need to. In this context, it is relevant to study the help-seeking behavior for mental health problems in adolescent population.

Objective: To adapt and validate the general help-seeking questionnaire for mental health problems in Chilean adolescents.

Subjects and method: Cross-sectional and correlational study of a non-random sample of 793 adolescent students, between 14 and 19 years old, from the city of Talca (Chile). The general help-seeking questionnaire, vignette version, (GHSQ-V) was administered after a transcultural adaptation and criterion validation. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test were used for analysis.

Results: An exploratory analysis identified two factors regarding available sources of help: 1) informal sources; 2) formal sources. Reliability was calculated separately for each of the health problems, resulting alpha values ranging from 0.87 to 0.75. In addition, the scale showed significant association with the variables self-efficacy and depression in the hypothesized directions. Finally, significant differences were identified in the willingness to seek help by adolescents level of mental health literacy, for all mental health issues presented, except suicide.

Conclusion: The adaptation of the GHSQ-V for Chilean adolescent and youth population is a valid and reliable instrument to measure willingness to seek help for mental health problems in our socio-cultural environment.