Psychological Science ›› 2014, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (1): 94-100.

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Adolescents' Mental and Behavioral Problems and Professional Help-seeking Attitudes: the Mediation Effect of Parental Knowledge

  

  • Received:2013-05-06 Revised:2013-11-12 Online:2014-01-20 Published:2014-01-20

青少年心理行为问题与专业心理求助态度:父母知晓的中介作用

吴梦希1,刘朝莹1,方晓义1,胡伟2,唐芹1,陈海德3   

  1. 1. 北京师范大学心理学院
    2. 北京师范大学发展心理研究所
    3. 北京师范大学
  • 通讯作者: 方晓义

Abstract: Abstract Adolescence is a critical life stage for mental health. Mental and behavioral problems are increasingly prevalent among adolescents. Unfortunately, large numbers of studies indicated that young people were reluctant to seek professional mental health care. This low rate of adolescents seeking professional mental health care has a negative effect on adolescents. Professional help-seeking attitude has a strong influence on mental health utilization. Parents play an important role in adolescences’ professional help-seeking. Thus, previous studies have offered a parent-mediated model advocating direct parental intervention. Parents, however, may also have an indirect effect on adolescences’ professional help-seeking, for example, helping them form positive help-seeking attitudes. Previous studies indicated that there were differences between paternal and maternal parenting styles, which had different effects on adolescents. Considering the different effects of both father and mother on adolescents, the current study investigated the relationship between adolescents’ mental and behavioral problems, paternal knowledge, maternal knowledge, and professional help-seeking attitudes. A total of 831 students in the 7th grade, 8th grade and 10th grades from four schools in Beijing were asked to report their mental and behavioral problems by completing a Youth Self Report (YSR) questionnaire problem scale, maternal knowledge by completing a Maternal Knowledge Scale (MKNO), paternal knowledge by completing a Paternal Knowledge Scale (PKNO), as well as completing the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help (ATSPPH). The results were as follows: Correlation analysis and SEM showed that adolescents’ mental and behavioral problems negatively predicted their professional help-seeking attitude. Paternal knowledge played a partial mediation effect in the relationship between adolescents’ mental and behavioral problems and professional help-seeking attitude, accounting for 26.03% of the mediation effect, while maternal knowledge did not play a mediation effect. In sum, all factors accounted for 21.40% of adolescents’ professional help-seeking attitude. In conclusion, the study shows the mediation effect of paternal knowledge between adolescents’ mental and behavioral problems and professional help-seeking attitudes while maternal knowledge doesn’t have the mediation effect. These results highlight the important role fathers play in adolescents’ professional help-seeking attitudes. When encouraging adolescents with mental and behavioral problems to seek professional mental help, parents, and especially fathers, should be more involved in their children’s lives.

Key words: adolescents, professional help-seeking attitudes, mental and behavioral problems, maternal and paternal knowledge

摘要: 摘 要 对831名中学生施测青少年自评量表、父母知晓量表、专业心理求助态度问卷,考察青少年心理行为问题、父亲知晓、母亲知晓与专业心理求助态度的关系。结果发现:(1)青少年的专业心理求助态度与心理行为问题、父母知晓呈显著相关。(2)父亲知晓在青少年心理行为问题与专业心理求助态度的关系中起部分中介作用,母亲知晓的中介作用不显著。研究结果对青少年专业心理求助的干预有着重要意义。

关键词: 青少年, 专业心理求助态度, 心理行为问题, 父母知晓

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