Help-seeking attitudes and behaviours for mental health problems in adolescents before and during the first COVID-19 school closures in Germany

Sophia Lustig; Julian Koenig; Stephanie Bauer; Markus Moessner; Sabrina Bonnet; Katja Becker; Silke Diestelkamp; Heike Eschenbeck; Alisa Hiery; Elisabeth Kohls; Laya Lehner; Christine Rummel-Kluge; Rainer Thomasius; Michael Kaess; the ProHEAD Consortium

doi:10.1111/eip.13358

Help-seeking attitudes and behaviours for mental health problems in adolescents before and during the first COVID-19 school closures in Germany

Early Interv Psychiatry. 2023 Mar;17(3):331-334. doi: 10.1111/eip.13358. Epub 2022 Oct 1.

Authors

Sophia Lustig^{1

2}, Julian Koenig^{3

4

5

6}, Stephanie Bauer⁷, Markus Moessner⁷, Sabrina Bonnet², Katja Becker^{8

9}, Silke Diestelkamp¹⁰, Heike Eschenbeck¹¹, Alisa Hiery⁸, Elisabeth Kohls¹², Laya Lehner¹¹, Christine Rummel-Kluge¹², Rainer Thomasius¹⁰, Michael Kaess^{2

6}; the ProHEAD Consortium

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
² Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁴ Clinic and Polyclinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁵ Section for Experimental Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁶ University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁷ Center for Psychotherapy Research, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁸ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
⁹ Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
¹⁰ German Center for Addiction Research in Childhood and Adolescence, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
¹¹ Department of Psychology, University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.
¹² Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

PMID: 36181354
DOI: 10.1111/eip.13358

Abstract

Aim: Comparing measures of psychological wellbeing and help-seeking in youths before and within the first school closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic enables a better understanding of the effects the pandemic has for those seeking professional help for mental health problems.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Germany-based ProHEAD school study. Pre-lockdown and lockdown samples (n = 648) were compared regarding pupils' psychological wellbeing, help-seeking attitudes and help-seeking behaviour.

Results: Participants from the lockdown sample showed greater positive attitudes towards seeking professional help, whereas psychological wellbeing and help-seeking behaviour remained stable.

Conclusions: Possible explanations may include an increased public discourse on mental health or self-selection bias for participation during lockdown.

Keywords: COVID-19; adolescents; help-seeking attitudes; help-seeking behaviour; mental health.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior*
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Communicable Disease Control
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Mental Health

Associated data

DRKS/DRKS00014685